Harper Cullen
by trumpetgal
Summary: She's the only human in her family, who are all Vampires. Now that her 18th birthday is coming up, Harper Cullen has a decision to make: Either stay human and live a human life, or become a vampire like the rest of her family. Coincides with the movie
1. Not the Average Family

My family is far some normal, so it's safe to say I didn't have a normal life. I guess it was because I'm adopted. My biological parents died when I was just born, a freak accident according to the Adopting Agency. Go figure. They were from Dublin, Ireland and immigrated to America about three years before I came along. I was told they were young, fidgety and so in love each other, sounds like a Romeo and Juliet romance to me. I don't even know what they look like, no pictures or records were found under their name, O'Callaghan. Funny how that means bright headed, meaning my fiery red hair. So here I am, Harper O'Callaghan, a baby in a adoption hold and looked over for 6 months. Not one couple that came through those doors wanted me, I couldn't blame them. It was already odd enough to see a red headed baby who gave every person a confused look. But it wasn't until I was 7 months old when I was adopted by two of the most loving parents in the world: Carlisle and Esme Cullen.

According to the Adoption Agency, when they came through the doors and all jaws dropped. They looked as if they belonged to a Hollywood set in the 1920's, gorgeous features and smiles that could kill. But what really made them so unforgettable was they personalities: passionate, loving and humble. When they first saw me, according to Esme, they fell in love with me. I didn't know why, and I still don't know why to this day. How could a beautiful couple like that love a ordinary being like me? But I guess they loved me so much they adopted me on the spot.

I was instantly loved and pampered in my new home and family. Having five older siblings, two loving parents and nothing but bliss make my young childhood everything I wanted and more. Esme was a wonderful mother to me, teaching how to read and write on her spare time, giving me unconditional love and support. Carlisle was the one who helped me with my first words and steps, reading me stories and being the best father he could be and more. I couldn't ask for two better parents.

Then there were my siblings, five of them to be exact. They all were the same age, or so it looked liked to me, so having 5 teenage siblings was a adventure on my part. First there was Edward. He taught me how to play piano, though he was ten times better, and his stubbornness rubbed off one me. Then I have Alice, my personal stylist. Ever since I was adopted, Alice would buy me clothes and dress me up like her own doll, but when I started to speak up on my own, she knew when to back off. But I know I got some compassion from her in the long run.

Jasper is a whole different story. He always knew how I was feeling and calmed me down when I was having a bad day. Plus he is a avid reader, reading to me every night when I was little. I loved his calm mood, it never ceases to amaze me. Emmett on the other hand, was my own personal teddy bear. For a good day I could play with him, and on bad days when he would just hold me and comfort me. Though he has taught me some jokes our mother would not approve of, he's been a great big brother to me.

Lastly there was Rosalie, nothing but beauty radiating off of her. She would give me nothing but love, as if she was my second mother. I would be jealous of her beauty later in life.

So growing up with this loving family, I thought I had my life made. Though we moved every four for five years, I thought my family was normal as a child. I thought since my family had extremely cold skin, fast reflexes and strength, extreme beauty and high intelligence, everyone should have that too. Boy was I wrong in Jr. High school in Monterey, California. As I walked into school in my first day as a twelve year old new girl, everyone was tan, average looking, slow and a dumb as a rock.

It was then I started to question my life, more importantly, my family. Why did they look different? Was there something wrong with them?

I went to Carlisle after school that day and told him what was on my mind. It was then I first saw concern in his eyes, and it scared me. I never saw him so scared before when I asked him why we were different, or at least, why was my family different except for me. He then told me what they really were and why they were so different.

He told me they were all vampires.

At first I didn't believe him, thinking it was some kind of prank they were pulling me. But he explained to me everything. Why they were so pale, their skin was always cold, they were very strong and fast, how they can never reproduced which was why they adopted me, they never slept so they spent their nights becoming more intelligent, how they never aged which was why we moved a lot so they wouldn't be discovered, and most importantly, how they only fed on the blood of animals and not humans.

He then explained how I never knew. The whole family made sure they were properly fed when around me, and when they were hungry they went off hunting in pairs instead of the whole group, to make it less noticeable to me. It was all surreal to me, but in a way I felt more at ease. I wasn't scared of them and of what they were, they seemed more civil than the vampire I read in books and graphic novels.

Carlisle then asked me if I still wanted to be a part of this family, meaning if I was too scared of them he could send me back to the Adoption Agency and I can find another family. How foolish of him to ask such a question, when I grew up with this family, I couldn't picture myself with another family. I loved the fact we were extraordinary, so I told him I would stay.

But it brought up another conflict, if I was either to grow up and love my life as a human being, or join them and be a vampire. I chose to be a vampire, I longed to be with my family forever. Edward and Rosalie were the only ones who didn't like my decision at all, telling me I should live a human life and experience things only humans can. But I knew I wanted to be with my family. So Carlisle made a deal with me. When I turned 18 and graduated from high school, I can then decide if I wanted to life my life as a human or end and become a vampire.


	2. The Cafeteria Scene

I didn't like what I saw in the mirror, yet again. My red hair was down to my shoulders, straight and plain jane. My green eyes stared back at me and my freckles danced along my pointed nose. I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, my old sneakers, a nice white shirt, a black scarf that hung loosely around my pale neck and my black barrette. Looking at myself in the mirror, I tried to smile, but it never came through.

Compared to my brothers and sisters I was ordinary looking, it started to sink in after a few years. Maybe it was because I was a regular teenage girl who had weird emotions, but I wanted so badly to be beautiful like them, to never grow old and to be strong. We've been in Forks Washington for about a year now, I'm going though my senior year at Forks High with Jasper and every time I walk down the hallway with either one of all of my siblings, people question our relation. They obviously know we are all adopted, but they still think I don't belong in the Cullen Clan. At first I ignored it, but now-a-days I feel myself agreeing with them.

I didn't hear the door opening but then felt two cold arms wrapping around me in a bear hug. I giggled and saw Emmett behind me, his big grin always makes me smile. He picked me up from behind and started swinging me around, making me squeal.

"Emmett! Stop you'll break something!" I squealed as he placed me back on the ground. I turned around and faced him, seeing his grin and bright topaz eyes.

"You went hunting this morning?" I asked as I ruffled hair curly hair in between my fingers.

"I went out early this morning with Edward and Jasper, they looked like they really needed a good feed before school." Emmett explained as he fixed the barrette on my head. I gave him and smile, but he saw I wasn't happy.

"Hey, what's wrong Squirt?" Emmett asked in concern in his deep tone. I sighed, he's been calling me Squirt since I was a toddler and hasn't stopped since.

"I just get fed up with everyone at school comparing me to you guys, makes me feel like I don't belong with you.." I explained in a pained tone. Emmett only smiled and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his embrace. Leave it to Emmett and his hugs to make any pain go away. I felt his cold body against my warm one, feeling his lips in my hair.

"Don't listen to them, mom and dad adopted you because they love you. I think you're beautiful, Harper, and so do everyone else in this family." Emmett murmured into my hair. I smiled, feeling better already.

"I hope you talk like that to Rosalie, cause the way you talk can melt any girl's heart." I replied to him in a smirk and Emmett chuckled.

"What I do with my wife is between me and her, not with you!" Emmett replied back from me as he pulled away. I was about to say another remark when another knock on the door was heard. We both looked over Emmett's shoulder and saw it was Edward, poking his bronze hair out from behind the oak door. He kept his cold stare, though I could tell he seemed alright. Being around Edward for quite some time I knew his emotions, though his face stayed the same.

"You ready for school today Harper?" Edward asked in his musical tone of voice. I smiled and nodded my head, walking over to my desk and snagging my messenger bag. Emmett joined Edward by the door as I then grabbed my phone.

"I feel like today's going to be different." I replied aloud to them both as the three of us ventured out of my room and down the stairs. Edward gave a small chuckle.

"What makes you say that?" Edward asked aloud to me.

"I don't know, it just feels like something's going to happen." I replied back to him. Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were already in their school attire near the front door. Esme was waiting for my by the stairs, along with Carlisle. I walked down the steps smiling at my parents as Emmett and Edward joined my other siblings.

"Now remember honey, I want to talk about your birthday plans when you get home, so no shopping after school....Alice." Esme replied aloud, looking over her shoulder at Alice who was giving her shocked look. I couldn't help but giggle as Carlisle gave me a hug.

"Have a good day today sweetheart." Carlisle replied to me as we pulled away from each other. I nodded my head.

"You all have a good day." Esme said to her children as we all headed out the doors. It was a cold day, nice and foggy, the way I liked it. Since my family could only go out on foggy, rainy or cloudy days, I got used to the weather and fell in love with it. I smiled, breathing in the cold air, today was going to be a good day for sure.

---------------------------------------------------

Lunch came in a fast rate. My first two classes, American History and Art, went by pretty fast. Out of all of my classes, I loved those two. For one, American History came easily to me, thanks to Jasper and his knowledge of the wars, and two Art let me paint. I love to paint, it makes me smile everyday. I felt happier with paint in front of me.

I walked over to meet my siblings outside the cafeteria. On some days they would have to make a quick hunting trip to make sure they were alright to be around more than one human. Since I was around them they were so used to me and my scent, which smelled of lavender according to Jasper.

All five of my siblings were talking to each other in hush whispers before I came over into their view. I knew they were talking about me in some way, maybe it was about my upcoming birthday. I walked over with a grin on my face as I adjusted my backpack.

"And what are we talking about over here?" I asked in a casual tone. They all stopped talking to me and smiled, facing me as if they were hiding something, I knew they were.

"Oh nothing important, I promise." Alice replied in a eyeing grin and I giggled, "And by the way, balloons are going to be everywhere!"

"Alice! Don't give too much away!" Rosalie said to her in a hushed tone and Alice laughed.

"Come on, let's go inside." Jasper said aloud as he took Alice's hand in his. Emmett and Rosalie followed suite, holding hands as usual and then Edward and I came from behind. I eyed my brother as he walked with his hands in his pocket.

"Edward, you okay?" I asked him in a casual tone. Edward looked at me and gave me his crooked smile. I smiled back and looped by arm with his.

"You worry too much about me sis." Edward said to me in a chuckle as we approached the double doors into the cafeteria. The room was loud filled with the students talking and chatting with each other. As we passed through, we went by the table that had Jessica and Angela, two of Edward's classmates. They were nice to me at least, but pretty talkative for my taste. But there was someone new with them. She had brown thick hair that came below her shoulders, pale skin and a heart shaped face. She looked shy to me, very private and reserved. Her wide chocolate eyes followed us as we passed her. I could see her eyes were on Edward and I could hear Jessica saying something.

"But apparently nobody here's good enough for him......" That made Edward smile and I smiled with him. It was partially true, every girl that went after Edward turned out with their hearts shattered. I nudged him, seeing his smirk on his face as we walked over to our usual table. We all sat down and I could see Edward's eyes were on the new girl's eyes. There staring contest with each other looked gruesome.

"You stare at her more, you'll burn hole in her eyes." I whispered in his ear. He immediately snapped out of it and looked back forward in front of us.

"Seriously, Edward. That look on your face was price-less, it looked like..." Emmett started off in a joking tone, but with one look from Edward he stopped and stayed silent.

"Like what exactly?" Edward asked back in a bitter tone. I saw the change in his eyes and I placed my hand on his arm. He instantly pulled away in a jerk, making me gasp. He didn't even look at me and shot up from his spot, walking away from us and out of the cafeteria. I sat her in shock and looked down at my hands in my lap.

"Like he was going to eat her..." Jasper finished for Emmett. I was too in shock to say anything. Edward never did that to me, treating me so cold and negatively. It was new to me, and I didn't like it. I felt a hand on my shoulder, nice and cold how I liked it. I looked up and it was Rosalie's hand. She gave me a weak smile.

"Harper, don't worry." Rosalie said to me in a soft tone. I nodded my head and took some bites from the plate in front of me as my siblings started about something meaningless. I looked up every once in awhile to look at the new girl, who was back into the conversation with Jessica and Angela. How can one human girl make Edward so paranoid? I've never seen it before with him, this was all new.


	3. Not Again

For the next several hours, Edward was distant from the family. He was tense, angry and short fused. I wanted to see what was wrong with my big brother, but Jasper told me to leave him be. Seeing him so distressed over a human girl was new for the whole family, even Carlisle thought of it as a odd thing to happen.

Then, after a day of being odd around us, Edward decided to go off on his own hunting trip. Emmett wanted to come along with him, but Edward wanted to be alone. I've never seen my parents so worried before over one of their children. Esme was devastated for some time and Carlisle seemed confused on situation.

After Edward left for a day or two, going to school was a blur to me. But it wasn't until one night when I had my first nightmare in years.

_I could only remember seeing a young couple, a woman with red hair holding a bundle in her arms and a man next to her with his arm around her, protecting her. They were walking somewhere and then stopped, being followed by a shadow. But right before they screamed I woke up in a jolt and cold sweat._

My room was dark, but only the full moon outside my large window shinned through onto my bed.

I felt my head and felt how cold I was. Thought were going through my head in a fast pace and i started getting scared. Who was that in my dream? Where did they come from? Everything was going too fast for me to handle.

Suddenly my bedroom door opened and light shined in from the hallway. I looked up and saw it was Jasper, gliding towards me and wrapping his arms around me, rocking me back and forth gently. Jasper always knew how to make me feel better after a nightmare, and since he could manipulate emotions, he made me feel better within seconds.

I had my head on his cold chest with his arms around me protectively. I was still shaking as he rocked back and forth with me.

"It's okay, Harper, only a dream..." Jasper kept mumbling into my ear over and over to calm me down. I felt like a idiot for crying to my brother, though it was comforting I felt too old to cry anymore.

"You're not too old..." Jasper whispered to me in a grin. I smiled against his chest and breathed in the scent of my brother: gun-smoke and cider. Somehow since he was changed around the Civil War era, that scent followed him through the years to now, but I love that scent on him. It reminds me of home, cheesy how that sounds but still it makes me warm inside.

"Why am I seeing these things in my head?" I asked aloud in a mummer as i felt his fingers in my hair, a habit he does to calm me down.

"I don't know Harp, do you want to ask Carlisle about it again?" Jasper asked me, pulling away slightly and looking down at me with his wide topaz eyes. I shook my head.

"I saw a couple holding a baby, and the woman had hair like me, bright and red. What if.....I don't know....what if she was my mother Jazz?" I asked him in wonder. I saw his face, he seemed to be in deep thought.

"You were so young when they died, but you have been dreaming about them a lot recently." Jasper said aloud as if talking to himself. I wondered about that too. Why was I dreaming about them? I never saw any pictures of them at all, the adoption agency told me there was nothing to show me about them.

"Maybe it's because my birthday is coming up in a couple of months, and maybe I'm getting anxiety from it all..." I started, but Jasper knew what I meant, becoming a vampire, dying...

"You haven't changed your mind I take it?" Jasper asked me as I eventually pulled away from him and sat in front of him on my bed, Indian style and fiddling my pajama leg. I shook my head and looked back up at him, seeing his head titled to the side.

"Though Edward and Rosalie don't like it, I can't think of a life without you guys in it. And I know you guys will be around, of course, but to see myself grow old and you guys stay young, it doesn't fit with me." I explained to him. He smiled at me and got up from his spot on my bed. I then got back under my covers, feeling his cold hand on my head as I got comfortable.

"Don't worry about it, Harper. We can talk about it tomorrow in the morning if you want." Jasper said to me as I nodded my head. With a final kiss on my head he left the room and closed the door quietly, leaving me in darkness again. I closed me eyes, feeling sleep take over me.....


	4. First Encounter of Both Counts

Eventually Edward got around with the whole Bella Swan situation. Since then he's been with Bella practically every second of the day, which I found odd to say the least. Edward was never infatuated with a human girl before, well at least when I was with the family. But somehow being with Bella made his mood change, he seemed more happy and content instead of his usual cold and bitter mood. So hey, if Bella could change his mood and personality into a positive thing, then by all means I liked her already.

But there was the matter of her being a human and Edward being a vampire. For one, it was dangerous for not only Bella, but for Edward himself. He could slip at sometime because of Bella's blood singing to him and making him go crazy, and the last thing my family needed to deal with was Edward relasping. Secondly, there was the matter of Bella knowing we were all vampires and telling anyone about us. I could remember Carlisle telling me when I was younger not to tell anyone about us being vampires. First, I wondered why because I thought my family wasn't a threat, but the more i thought about it I knew they needed to stay a secret, not only for their sake but for mine.

So it was a big day for most of us when Edward decided to bring Bella over to introduce all of us. They've been together for quite some time and still we haven't met her properly. I've only seen her at school, but never got a chance to talk to her. Esme was excited to meet her, as would any mother would be, Carlisle was also in a positive mood about it. Alice and Jasper went out for a hunting trip to get Jasper under control for Bella's sake and mine, so they left about an hour before Bella arrived. Emmett was his typical self, always happy go lucky and started helping Esme with the food they were making for Bella. I decided to help Carlisle with the oven as Rosalie was holding a bowl in her hands while Emmett dumped ingredients into it.

Out of all of the members in the family to be negative, it had to be Rosalie. She was never friendly to humans outside the family, leaving me to be the only human she likes to be around. But when she heard news that Bella was going to be coming over, I thought she was going to have a fit. I've never seen her so negative and cold before, but humans weren't her cup of tea I guess.

"Watch your hand, dear." Carlisle warned me as I turned on the oven. I placed the skillet over the open flame as Carlisle got out the oil and other ingredients. Emmett was chopping up some chicken as Esme got the salad ready. Opera was playing in the backround, a typical routine for us to play classical music while deep in a task. Opera was Esme's favorite while cooking.

"Is she even Italian?" Rosalie asked in a bitter tone. I chuckled as I gave Carlisle a sideways glance, seeing him look over his shoulder at Rosalie.

"Her name _is_ Bella." Emmett added as a reply to her. Carlisle smiled as I placed some ingredients in the skillet.

"I'm sure she'll love it no matter what." Carlisle said aloud to everyone as I went over to the island to check on the cheese Esme was working on. Being mischievous, I took a pinch from the cheese and ate it, receiving a playful smack from Esme.

"Young lady, that's for you and Bella!" Esme said to me in a stern but soft tone. I smile and shrugged, hearing a laugh come from deep inside Emmett. Then they all stopped their tasks, looking up at the entry way of the kitchen and taking in a deep breath. I looked up too, knowing Bella was in the house and coming our way.

"Get a whiff of that." Rosalie said aloud as they all had the same face towards the house. I was confused, is that how I smelled to them when they first adopted me, being around a human in close contact for the first time? Or was it how she smelled? I was told certain humans smell more appealing to vampires than other humans, so that must be the case.

"Here comes the human." Rosalie said in a fake tone, trying to sound happy but clearly it wasn't in her tone. But Esme ignored her as she smiled, whipped off the cheese from her hands and walked over from the island. I took over handling the cheese as Bella and Edward walked into the kitchen. I looked up as did the rest of my family. Bella seemed nervous about meeting us and Edward looked uncertain about the situation. I smiled at her as her eyes settled on mine, and I saw her eyes go wide from seeing me.

"Bella, we're making Italiano for you." Esme explained to Bella in her genuine tone and smile. Bella smiled back and replied a short, "oh"

"Bella, this is uh, Esme my mother for all intense purposes." Edward introduced them. I could see Bella was still uneasy, but she smiled non the less.

"Bonjorno." Bella replied, which made my mother's eyes lit up instantly. Esme replied something back in Italian and I snickered from my spot. Edward saw me and grinned.

"I think you know Harper from school." Edward said to Bella as I walked over from my spot next to Emmett and stood in front of Bella. I held out my hand and she took it gently, instantly feeling my warm hand against hers.

"It's nice to meet you." I told her in a smile and saw her smile back at me. Edward smiled next to her, thinking this was a good thing.

"Nice to meet you too. I didn't know you were part of their family." Bella said aloud to me as I saw Carlisle move from the stove to the island.

"Harper's is a wild one, I suggest you watch out for her." Emmett joked from his spot and I looked over my shoulder at him, eyeing him and seeing him grin.

"Well, I do hope you're hungry." Esme said aloud to Bella. Bella nodded her head, but I could see Edward shifted his weight next to her.

"She already ate." Edward replied back to our mother. At first we were silent, but then I heard a crash behind me. I whirled around and saw Rosalie, with glass around her feet and the food on the floor. She broke the bowl with her hands, good grief. She walked over to the steps with a cold look on her face.

"Perfect." Rosalie snapped aloud. Emmett sighed and walked over to her, about to tend to her as I moved over to stand next to Esme.

"It's just, I know you guys don't eat." Bella tried to explain aloud in a stammer.

"Of course, it's very considerate of you." Esme said, at first looking at Bella with a genuine smile, then looking at Rosalie with a tough glare as Carlisle walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Just ignore Rosalie, I do." Edward said to Bella in a reassuring tone as I looked over at my sister, who looked like she was fuming.

"Yeah, lets just keep pretending that this isn't dangerous for all of us." Rosalie snapped at him. I felt a chill go down my spine is I looked to see Bella's reaction.

"I would never, tell anybody anything." Bella said aloud to us in a strong tone. I grinned from my spot, feeling better already. She seemed alright in my book, it was just up to the rest of the family.

The rest of the incident went on peacefully. Typical Alice came in through the window, along with Jasper from their hunting trip. Alice was pleasant and warm to Bella, giving her a hug and slipping out the fact that not only were they going to be great friends, but she smelled good too. Jasper on the other hand was hesitant, staying a good distance away from Bella and looking like he was in pain. Her blood must of been smelling really good to him as well, making him seem tense.

After Edward went off showing Bella the rest of the home, I made myself a plate of what was left after Rosalie destroyed most of the foot. Emmett was sitting next to me on my left whereas Rosalie was on his left and Esme was across from us, Jasper and Alice sitting on both sides of her. Carlisle stood and was behind Esme, his hands on her shoulders.

"So, what's our verdict?" Carlisle asked us as a whole. I was hesitant to see what Rosalie and Jasper would say.

"I like her!" Emmett replied in a grin and I laughed from his remark.

"I do too, she's so lovely! But I do have some work to do on her wardrobe and her hair!" Alice added after Emmett. Jasper grinned and so did I.

"She seems nice." Jasper placed in his thought, but then I heard the slamming of fists on the table, shaking my plate and cup.

"Am I the only one who thinks of this as a catastrophe?!" Rosalie snapped aloud nearly in a screech. Everyone was quiet as all of our eyes peered on her.

"Rosalie, she gave us her word that she won't tell anyone about us, she's a lovely young lady and makes Edward happy, something we as a family haven't seen in years." Carlisle explained in a calm tone, but I knew he was trying to stay calm for my sake.

"I'm sure you'll like her once you get to know her." I added in, though I was greeted by a pair of cold topaz eyes who started at me back. I gulped, seeing her shoot up from her chair and storm out of the room. Emmett got up and followed her, ruffling his hair in between his fingers.

"And I take it you like her?" Esme asked me in a calm tone. I nodded my head.

"She makes Edward happy, and I don't see her as a threat." I replied truthfully as I looked down at my plate and ate another bite.

"That's my girl." Carlisle said aloud in a genuine tone and I smiled. After finishing my plate I went up to my room and sat down by my desk near the window. Deciding I wanted to do some homework I looked out my window and saw something amongst the trees. I peered closer and opened my window, seeing what it was. It seemed to be a person out in the forest, alone and near out house. It was odd enough for someone to be alone in the forest, but for that someone to be near our house it was even more of a odd case. I pushed the red hair from my eyes and felt a cold breeze come through. My hair flew in the wind, causing me to shiver. But then the person, looking like he breathed in something vial, turned around and ran into the forest. I tried to find him in the dark atmosphere of the forest, but whoever it was, disappeared. I bit my lip and placed my head back into my room, wondering who it was and what they wanted.


	5. The First Experience

Ever since I saw that mysterious person outside my house, things started to get real strange for me. The next couple of days it felt like someone was watching me or following me. Jasper could sense I was uneasy and tended to my emotions in a regular basis. But I still got nightmares every other night and I felt anxiety washing over me.

Esme and Carlisle started to worry about me, since I was having nightmares I was becoming more withdrawn from the family. But I told them not to worry, the last thing I needed was to have to worried vampires. All I wanted to know was why I was having nightmares so many nights and why they were all about the same person.

One night I overheard Edward and Jasper talking to Carlisle as I was in bed. My door was open slightly, the light peering through into my dark room from the hallway as I listened in on the conversation.

"This isn't a phase, Carlisle. Something is really troubling her, I can feel it every time she comes in the room." Jasper whispered harshly. I could hear Carlisle sighing loudly, and I could picture him rubbing his own temples in frustration.

"Ever since we came through that scent of another vampire in out mist, she's been distant from all of us. And since her nightmares came back again, her thoughts have been out of place and erratic." Edward added in with a harsh tone. I couldn't help but dig my head into my pillow. I felt horrible making my family concerned about me, but I didn't know what else to do. How could I explain what I saw to them?

"Maybe she's suffering from some kind of anxiety over her 18th birthday. It's about 2 months away, but I know she's been thinking about it constantly." Carlisle suggested in his calm tone. That was somewhat true.

"She's never shown anxiety over her birthday before though." Jasper interjected. But I couldn't listen to anymore. I turned around to the otherside of my bed, facing my window and feeling sleep take over.

The next day was a Sunday, no school and nothing to worry about homework-wise. But I was still on edge, feeling fidgety and agitated. My birthday was haunting my mind, coming so close. And then there was graduation, something I was starting to feel haunt me in my already freakish nightmares. But what about that person outside our house? Why was he on my mind constantly......

I decided to go out on a walk through the forest to clear my head and to breath fresh air. Walking through the forest always calmed me down, breathing in the tree smell and the moist air makes me smile every time. So I walked down the stairs and saw Esme in the living room, reading a pretty thick book. As soon as I was on the ground floor, her face perked up and she looked over at me, giving me her motherly smile. I smiled back as she placed her book on the couch next to her.

"I'm gonna take a walk around the house, is that okay?" I asked her in a curious tone. She nodded her head and got up from the couch, walking over gracefully to stand in front of me.

"Harper, are you okay? You seem very distant from us, ever since you started getting nightmares again." Esme started. I smiled at her and gave her a warm hug.

"I'm fine mom, just going through some Senior blues, you know how that is." I reassured her as I pulled away. She moved some hair from my eyes, a motherly maneuver for her to do with all of us Cullen children.

"Just remember, you can talk to me about anything." Esme told me in her gentle tone and I nodded my head in agreeing with her.

Walking through the forest always made me happy. It was nice and quiet in the area I would usually walk through. I wore my blue shorts, my black converse shoes, a long sleeved white shirt and a black vest over the shirt. I usually took a swiss army knife with me in case something really did happen to me out here, and then I took my Diana camera with me for some nature shots. Other than painting, I love taking pictures with my cameras I collected from pawn shops and garbage shoots.

Climbing over a large tree root, I decided to take a picture of a tree nearby that was rather big in height and weight. Taking out my camera, I aimed the camera at a certain angle on the tree, trying to capture the branches and pine in the lenses. But as I was about to get my shot, I heard something behind me. I whirled around but saw nothing behind me. It was only forest and the sound of the wind going through the trees. But then I felt the wind getting cold by the second. I checked my watch, but it only read to be around 2:30, so it couldn't be dusk already. I shook my head and went back to taking my picture again.

As I took the picture, another sound came through but it was on my left side near my backside. I looked back again. The sound was like someone was walking on glass, sharp and definite and louder than the first sound. I placed by camera back in its case and the sling over my shoulder as I got out my swiss army knife and held it in my hand incase something were to happen. I scanned the area with my eyes, seeing nothing but green.

THen I heard it, a low growl erupted from behind me. At first I thought it was a vampire, but it was more of a animal. I knew that sound, I heard it before from school: mountain lion. I froze in my spot and felt a chill go down my spot, it was rare to have a mountain lion in these parts so close to human contact. Maybe Edward or someone else back at home sensed it was near and were coming to feed, but I heard nothing else. I was alone out here in the woods.

I turned around slowly and saw a large mountain lion in front of me about 200 feet away. She was crouched low into the floor, her head barely over a fallen tree, her eyes right on me. I gulped, trying to figure out what to do. I could run, but for one I was rather slow compared to a animal running, and this cat could catch me in seconds after I started to run. Then again I could climb the tree next to me, I have climbed a tree before when I was younger with Emmett. But the mountain lion had claws, she could catch me faster.

My heart started to face and I felt another cold chill on my body. That cold chill only came from being around a vampire, so it must be someone from my family nearby. I wanted to scream out to them but nothing came out of my mouth. Then the mountain lion sprung and landed right in front of me 10 feet away. I cringed and waited for a blow, or a scratch, or even a arm to fly off, but right before the cat swiped at me I felt a gush of cold wind and saw a blur from me right side. There, in front of me and in front of the lion, was a boy a bit taller than me! I only saw the back of his body, seeing brown messy hair and a skinny body, but then I saw pale skin, too pale to be human....

The lion roared and I cringed from the sound. The cat took a swing at the boy, but he was too fast and moved to the side, having the lion fall completely to the floor in a heap and he launched at her from the side, the massive hit of his body unto hers sounded like thunder and they both went sideways into the trees, being hidden from view. As he launched himself at the lion, I tripped backwards on a tree root and fell back onto the ground, turning my head as I went and slamming my forehead onto a rock, seeing my vision go black and my head going numb.....

I woke up freezing cold. I felt leaves and mossy ground beneath me and I could only see darkness. It was darker out now, much darker then before. I wanted to get up, but my head was spinning so hard it hurt to even focus on one thing at a time. I only saw above me the trees and their branches, dark but had some light on them from the Full moon that was out and over the forest sky. I could see the moon from a space between two trees and some stars were out as well, dancing in the sky. I looked at my arm and saw it was bleeding, then felt my forehead and felt some dry blood that was on my forehead down to my jawline, neck and eventually ended as a pool on my white long sleeved shirt. SIghing in relief that I wasn't dead, I looked at my watch and saw it was 8:45 PM!

Oh no, what if my family was freaking out? Were they looking for me? Did they know where to look? I couldn't help but shake from remembering what had happened in that spot I was sitting in, seeing a mountain lion about to kill me when someone, or something come out of no where and save me. I could of sworn I saw pale skin on whoever that was, maybe it was a vampire? It couldn't of been, my family would of known from the gecko. But Edward was talking about another vampire being in out territory, maybe it was that same one.

As soon as I was about to get up, I saw a dark figure looking over me. I thought it would be someone from my family, because I saw a pair of shinning topaz eyes looking at me with concern, but when I heard the voice, _that voice_, I knew it wasn't from my family at all. He sounded like a angel that fell from heaven, cheesy I know, but still I thought it sounded just like that.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a butter-like tone that could make me melt. It was a raspy, but soothing voice. I wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came out. I heard a light chuckle and then two fingers on my temple near the gash on my head. I felt a shiver go down my spine as the fingers made connection with my head. I haven't shivered before after being touched like _that_, not even with my family. I was used to cold fingers, arms and bodies, but _this_, this was a world-wind.

"It doesn't look too bad. Why would someone like you be out here alone in the woods?" He asked me with his head cocked to the side. I could see his messy wild hair as a outline from the moon.

"Who are you?" I finally got my voice back from deep within me, but it came out as a raspy and scared tone. But before he could answer me I heard distance shouting from far off in the woods towards civilization.

"Harper! Harper where are you?!" It was Jasper, calling out to me. I could tell it was his voice even from a far distance away. I looked in that direction and felt relief wash over me and peace. Somehow he was calming me down from a far distance. I looked back up to see the figure again, but he was gone. I frantically looked around to see if I could find him, but I only saw darkness and the dark trees. My head started to throb again, feeling more like a heavy ball of cement than before and I laid my head back down on the ground, feeling sleep wash over me.

"Harper! Oh god Harper, look at you." It was Emmett's voice. My eyes were going blurry as I saw a big figure standing over me, picking me up and feeling his cold body against mine. I was cradled into his body, being held like a newborn baby and cuddling into his stone cold chest. I knew it was Emmett, he smelled of cinnamon and pine on a regular basis. I could feel him running with me in his arms, the wind flying by us as if we were flying. I saw the scenery go by in a blue through my fuzzy vision. I wanted to stay away, but I was too tired and too cold to stay awake.

"Come on Harper, stay awake for me." I heard Emmett said in a grunt as he jumped over something and landed with grace, still running back home. I wanted to tell him what I saw, about the mountain lion, but then I felt sleep take over me......


	6. The Aftermath

I woke up in my bed, my arm being wrapped up and my head stitched where the gash was. It was the late afternoon and my window was open, having a cold breeze come in. My head felt numb and my arm was hurting quite a bit as I looked around to see what was going on. On the end table to my right there was a plate of food sitting there, along with one of my favorite books: _Alice in Wonderland_. I smiled, no wonder I was having dreams of Alice and the Rabbit Hole, Jasper must of been reading to me while I was asleep. Since I was little, _Alice and Wonderland_ has been the only book to put me to sleep whenever I was sad or injured.

"Finally, I thought you wouldn't wake up for another day or two." I looked over and saw Alice standing by my doorway, crossing her arms in front of her and smiling. I sat up and leaned against the headboard and smiling back at her.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked her, finding my voice which was dry and raspy. Alice glided over to my right side, placing the tray on my lap and putting the book on the floor. She sat beside me on the bed as I started to eat some of the food in front of me. It was a omelette, some eggs on the side and toast, along with a glass of OJ.

"The whole day yesterday and this morning. Carlisle was debating on taking you to the Hospital because of your temperature." I almost choked on the omelette in my mouth, looking at her in shock. She just smiled and patted my leg that was underneath the covers.

"You were freezing when Emmett found you, Harper. What happened out there?" Alice asked, having some concern in her eyes and voice. I gulped down some toast and cleared my throat, hoping my voice was well enough to tell the tale.

"I was taking a walk when a mountain lion spotted me. But before she attacked me, someone jumped in front of me and knocked the mountain lion out of the way. After that I fell and hit my arm and head. But I remember waking up and seeing these two golden eyes looking at me. THen I heard a voice, and Alice, I kid you not, it sounded like an angel." I explained in a rushed tone. I saw her eyes going wide and I could tell she was shocked from what she heard.

"You think it was a vampire?" I asked her after a moment of silence between us. She bit her lip and looked out the window, avoiding my gaze. Oh no, I know something's up.

"Alice, you know something I don't, don't you?" I asked in a calm tone, but non the less I was about to get aggravated. She sighed and looked back at me, taking my hand in her and patting the top.

"When Rosalie went hunting the other day, the day after we all met Bella, she came across the sent of another vampire and we all went on high alert." I was floored from her news. They knew about him? Hows is it that I had no news about him?

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, raising my voice a bit higher than before, sitting up more in a alert fashion.

"We didn't want to upset or frighten you, Harper." Alice only said to me in her calm tone, sensing I was getting a bit upset over this.

"Yeah well it didn't help at all then did it? Did you even know he was outside our house the day Bella came over?" Alice eyes snapped up at me and she gave me a shocked look. As soon as I said those words, Edward came busting through my room and stood by my side. He looked like he was fuming about something, his hands were fists and his eyes narrowed on me. I felt Alice place one of her hands on mine, keeping me calm.

"And you failed to tell us this because?" Edward asked in a snapped tone. I jerked from the sound of his voice. Alice, from her spot, grabbed Edward's arm with her free hand to get his attention..

"Edward, please. She just woke up." Alice pleaded with him in a harsh whisper as his eyes stayed on me.

"You guys would of thought I was delusional and that it was another one of my nightmares again." I answered him in a bark and Alice looked back at me.

"Harper, you may not grasping the situation here. You could of died out there!" Edward's voice raised a bit.

"But that vampire saved my life Edward. I saw his eyes, they were golden, and he touched me without being hesitant at all. Is that even going through your stubborn and thick skull that he may be like you, a vegetarian?" I asked him back in a louder tone. Then the door opened even wider and I looked around Edward, seeing the rest of my family at my bedroom door. Carlisle walked over slowly and placed his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Bella called while you were here, go talk to her." Carlisle calmly said to Edward, who's eyes were still glued to mine. He sighed loudly, moved around Carlisle and walked out of my room in a fast pace, not saying goodbye to anyone else in the room. Carlisle took my hand gently and sat next to Alice on my bed as the rest of my family stood by the foot of my bed.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked me. I snorted and looked down at my wounded arm.

"Other than agitated because of that fact my family has failed to tell me that the same vampire who saved me was lurking around the house the past couple of days, quite dandy." I muttered as I ran my fingers through my hair. Carlisle sighed and squeezed my hand.

"We wanted to make sure you wouldn't worry. Other than Tanya and her family, you've never encountered another vampire before, and we wanted to keep it that way for some time. But i understand you're angry, since you're about to turn 18 and you have matured into a young lady." Carlisle explained and I just couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you guys." I apologized.

"It's alright, we're just worried about your health right now." Esme said from the foot of the bed, walking over to the left side of my bed and placing her hand on my head. I sighed in content, feeling the coolness calm me down.

"If there is a vegetarian vampire near our home, he must of caught of scents." Carlisle said aloud, thinking to himself as Emmett walked over to stand next to Esme.

"How are you squirt?" He asked with his signature grin. I smiled and shrugged.

"I've been better, but thanks for saving me bro." Emmett smiled and pushed back the hair in front of my face.

"Maybe if we talked to him and find out what he's doing here, then we can....."Esme started but Rosalie butted in.

"No way! Being here already is a bad thing for him, but to invite him into our home?!" Rosalie asked in almost a shocked tone.

"Rosalie, calm down." Emmett told his wife in a soothing tone as he walked over to stand next to her.

"He may be lost, going through Forks to another location." Alice suggested, but Jasper shook his head.

"We can't risk bringing him here with Harper." Jasper protested.

"What if I leave for awhile, go to a friends house while you guys figure out what he wants?" I suggested aloud. Everyone stared at me and I gulped, maybe that was a bad idea.

"That may work, but we'll have to cover your scent in the house so he won't suspect." Carlisle added after a moment. Rosalie threw her hands up in the air as if defeated.

"This is ridiculous!" She replied aloud as Emmett placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them and calming her down. I smiled and looked down at my arm, seeing the bandages wrapped around it and some scratches along my forearm and fingers. I wanted to meet him, thank him for saving me, and hear his voice again. HIs voice played over and over in my head, the smoothness of his tone and how it made me feel like butter.

Overall, I just wanted to meet him.....


	7. Harper, meet Oz Gracen

So the day finally came, the day they were going to invite my mysterious savior over to see why he was on our territory and if he needed some kind of assistance. But in order for me not to be dead, I decided to go over to a friend's house for the afternoon to do some homework and college applications, only to make Rosalie and Edward happy in case I changed my mind and wanted to be a human for the rest of my life.

I went over to Emily's house, which was right next to the school. Emily has been one of the first people to befriend me at Fork when I first moved there. She's one of the few friends I have here, cause everyone else would avoid me because of who I was related to. But Emily still became my friend and since we were both into art. I decided to help her with her collage for Art class.

So here I was, laying on my stomach in Emily's room, looking at various pictures that Emily took this year to place on her poster. Emily was by her window, looking through her pictures on her cannon camera. It was around 3:30 and it was raining outside, having the sound of rain hitting the roof fill the room. Right after school I was shipped over to Emily's house by Edward, who then went straight home. He looked as if he wanted to crush the car as he drove me, and I wanted to calm him down, but as soon as I was out of the car, Edward reached over and slammed my door shut, driving away in a fast pace.

"How about this one?" I asked Emily as I showed her a black and white picture of a gerber daisy. EMily looked over at me, her blue eyes behind her thick black glasses and she smiled, nodding her head in a exciting pace.

"Perfect! I'm so glad you came over to help me! I think it should go over here by this one...." Emily said aloud, walking over to the poster that already had some pictures on them. She pointed to the picture of a colorful fish from her aquarium. I smiled and placed it next to it and I heard her squeal. She was always so excited when something came together in her favor.

"It looks so good!" She replied in a grin and looked over at me. I tried to look just as excited, but my mind was on the mysterious vampire who was meeting with my family and telling them his story.

"Harper? Are you okay?" She asked me, pulling me out of my trance. I looked over at her and saw her eyes through her glasses, looking at me with concern. I nodded my head and cleared my throat.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I told her in a honest tone. She sighed and sat down in front of me, the poster in between us and I moved to sit in a Indian style in front of me as well.

"You've been distant lately Harp. For the past couple of weeks you seemed more.....reserved." Emily said to me and I bit my lip. I didn't want to worry her about what was going on and everything.

"And then you show up to school on Monday with a bandage on your arm and stitches over your eye. I mean, what happened over the weekend?" Emily asked me in a more concerned tone. I tried to think up a lie and quick.

"I got attacked by a mountain lion late sunday morning after going for a walk but my dad shot it down before the lion could do anymore damage on me." I replied to her. It was true, to a point. But instead of my dad saving me it was a mysterious stranger who made my heart melt.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry to hear that Harper! I had no idea." Emily replied back to me in a shocked tone. I shrugged and smiled back at her.

"It's okay, I didn't want anyone to know really. I'm not one for a big crowd to rush over to me." I replied back to her. Then my phone buzzed on my pocket, breaking the awkward silence between us. I saw Emily looking back at the collage as I looked on my phone, seeing a text message from Alice:

_Come back to the house asap_

_don't worry, it's safe now_

_~Alice_

What did she mean by it's safe now? I had no clue, but I looked back up at Emily.

"Hey, I need to get back home to do some family business. Can I get a quick ride home?" I asked her as I placed my phone back in my pocket. Emily nodded and got up with me as I snagged my purse.

As Emily pulled away from my house, I could feel something was wrong in my house. I felt a little shiver go down my spine as I grasped my wounded arm, feeling it going cold from the touch. I walked up to the front doors and opened it slightly, hearing distant voices inside towards the living room. But as soon as I closed the doors the voices stopped and I clung onto my purse even more.

"Harper, is that you?" It was Esme and I gulped, walking towards the living room. As I turned the corner, I saw all of my family standing near the backdoor, looking over at me. But in the middle of my family, there was one more person. He was near Carlisle and Edward with his head down. He was around Carlisle's height with brown messy hair, a skinny muscular body and pale skin, too pale. He was wearing a long sleeved dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a black vest over his shirt, blue baggy jeans and no shoes on his feet. I could see there was a marking on his right arm, looking like a tattoo, but I couldn't tell from my spot.

I took a hesitant step forward, keeping my eyes on him as he looked up at me. I almost lost my breath when I saw him. His golden eyes contrasted with his pale skin. He had a particular nose, a big large and pointed but none the less went with his face. He had full lips, spotless skin, a strong jawline and overall beauty on him. I thought my family was beautiful, but to me he blew that right out of the water by a landslide. His small golden eyes looked at me for the first time and I saw them go wide. HIs stance changed as I approached the group in a slow pace.

"Harper, this is Oz Gracen." Carlisle introduced him to me. Oz, the name did fit him perfectly. I smiled at him as I stood by Edward's side in front of Oz.

"Hello." Oz replied to me in a small smile and hesitant tone. I shivered, remembering his voice from that night and hearing it again made me warm inside.

"Hello." I replied back in a shaky tone. I heard Edward chuckle next to me as Oz cocked his head to the side slightly, looking at me as if I was the only person in the room.

"Oz wanted to meet you and see if you were alright." Alice told me on my right side as she eyed Oz from her spot. Oz gazed over my arm and head and I could tell he seemed distraught about it.

"I'm fine, I have you to thank for that." I said to him, trying to act calm in front of him but it wasn't working as I planned. Oz chuckled, seeing my nervousness and I felt a wave of calm go through me. Gee, thanks Jasper.

"Why don't we let Oz and Harper talk for a moment for two shall we?" Carlisle said aloud as a hint. I felt Edward squeeze my shoulder gently as my family left the living room gracefully.

Standing in front of Oz alone now felt nerve-raking. My heart was going through like a roller coaster as I saw Oz take a hesitant step towards me. I smiled at him as I tried to find something to say to him, anything.

"Your family is very nice." I heard him say to me as he was now about 3 feet in front of me. I could only gaze into his golden eyes and saw them stare back at my green eyes. His stance was still tense and his hands were shoved in his pockets, as if hiding something from me.

"I hope they didn't scare you too much." I added and I heard him chuckle again. God his laugh makes me smile, I find it addicting to listen to his laughter.

"Not at all, they're more like a family than the clan I used to be in." Oz replied in a grin.

"I thought you came here alone?" I asked him with curiosity.

"Oh I did, I just used to be in a large clan that was ran like military compared to your family." Oz answered as he eyed me.

"Why did you leave your clan?" I asked aloud in a brave tone. He looked down at the floor and I bit my lip.

"It's rather difficult to talk about." I nodded my head as he looked back up at me.

"But I do want to know why you were out in the forest all by yourself..." He trailed up and gave me a smirk as he walked over to my left, circling me slowly. I felt the cold temperature of his body radiating off on me as he walked slowly around me and I kept my eyes forward on a spot on the back wall.

"I like to walk alone sometimes in the woods, and think about things." I replied as I could see him walking back in front of me. He was looking at all of my features,

"Someone like you shouldn't be out in the woods all alone." he advised me and I smirked.

" "Someone like me'? Do you think I can't take care of myself?" I asked him in a challenging tone. He smiled and I could tell his fingers were twitching by his sides.

"It didn't seem like it when you were there in front of that mountain lion. I couldn't let something as interesting and precious go to waste." He replied to me as he reached out to touch my cheek and push my hair away. But as his fingers touched my cheek, my vision went black. At first I only saw darkness all around me, but then like in and instant I saw flashing images of myself, but in the past. I saw myself when I was a baby, being held by Esme and Carlisle, but a second later I was 1 and learning how to walk by Carlisle. Then I was 8 and going to school, being watched by my parents, and then I was 12 and wrestling with Emmett on our front lawn. The last one I saw was when I was 13 and I just learned my family members were vampires. I saw all of these images go through my head in an instant, hearing the voices of each flashback of whoever was in those clips. It almost felt like I was watching a film of my life, but every other second I was fast forwarding to another part of my life.

Then I got my vision back as Oz moved his hand away from me. I saw him in front of me with concern in his eyes as I saw my family come back into the room with the same look of concern in their eyes.

"Harper, are you alright?" Esme asked me, walking over to me and wrapping a arm around my shoulder to support me in case I was dizzy. But I was just confused, looking at Oz with shock.

"Oz, what did you do to me?"


	8. Oz's Story

"I'm sorry for doing that to you. You see, I have a ability called Psychometry, which means I can receive information about a person's past, present and future by just touching them lightly." Oz explained calmly as I felt Esme's arm tighten around me. I found it amazing, how I could see things from my past that I could hardly remember.

"You can see their future?" Alice asked in curiosity as she took a step forward towards him. Jasper, I could tell, was tense when she left his side.

"If I hold onto them long enough then I could. But it's never certain." Oz replied to her as he kept his eyes on me. I smiled at him as I heard Carlisle clear his throat.

"Oz, if you want to, why don't you stay here at our home for awhile, until you figure out what you want to do traveling wise. It's not safe for a young vampire such as yourself to be wandering out in the forest all by yourself." Carlisle explained to Oz as Oz finally took his eyes off of me and looked to Carlisle.

"That's very kind of you, but I don't want to be a burden to you or your family." He told Carlisle.

"We are more concerned about your welfare than your manners." Esme told him in a smile. He smiled and nodded his head, making my own heart soar. For some reason, I was drawn towards him and wanted to know more about him.

I saw him standing outside by our backdoor, looking out into the forest with his hands shoved in his pockets and was so still. It was right after I had dinner and I decided to talk to Oz and see what he was like. Esme moved him into one of the spare rooms we had, which was right next to my room, go figure.

I opened the sliding glass door and walked out into the backyard, standing right next to Oz as I closed the door quietly. Oz looked over at me and smiled as I looked back at him. For what felt like awhile, we just stared at each other, drinking each other's image into our brains and hoping we would remember what the other looked like if we were never to see each other again. That would kill me already, not being able to see him and hear him laugh and his voice to calm me down.

"Hello." He greeted me.

"Hey." I replied back to him, "Would you like to go on a walk?"

"Of course, hopefully you won't go on walks alone anymore." he replied in a chuckle as I blushed and looked down at my feet. As I looked up he motioned with his hands toward the forest in front of us.

"Shall we?" He asked in a grin. I nodded my head and we walked across the small field towards the forest. I felt safe near him, like nothing would take me or tear me away from him. i felt satisfied, for once in my life. He started to talk about his life, and I remember every bit of it:

Oz was born into a family of Gypsies in central europe in 1924. His family traveled throughout europe, attending fairs and carnivals and performed tricks and stunts for money. He remembered liking that kind of life, seeing new faces and places and never staying in one place at one time. But that all changed when the Nazis went into power and his family had to go into hiding in order to stay safe. When he was 17, along with his family, he was captured by Nazis and taking to Auschwitz, working hard labor for two years. He told me he remembered seeing his mother and sister taken away and he never saw them again. Then he told me he saw his father executed in front of him after trying to escape.

When he was 19 he got typhoid fever was on the verge of dying. He then met a vampire named Sarah. She saw him on the verge of death and changed him in order to save him from being shot like his father. After she changed him, she escaped with Oz, taking him deep within the forest in order for him not to kill any humans. She brought him to the clan he would be with for the next sixty years: The Vivaldi Clan.

It was made up of a Vampire couple named Rose and Mason, who have been vampires for over 500 years combined. They had a "son" named Jakub who was a vampire since 1873, Sarah who's been a vampire since 1899 their newest addition named Steven who changed in 1923. They were staying in the middle of the woods at that time after Sarah was captured by Nazis who thought she was jewish.

After Oz became a member of the clan, the clan begun to travel to many different places that were unhabitated by humans, because they too were all vegetarian vampires. It wasn't like my family where we moved every three or four years, they moved constantly, never staying in one place at one time for more than three days. They always went on the move, going from place to place and only keeping to themselves.

Oz told me he has been all over Europe, half of Asia, some of Latin America, most of Canada and almost all of America. His clan was more of military style than a family. His leader was Mason, always barking out orders on where to go and what to do and at what time. Rose, his mate, wasn't very nice to Oz at all. Sarah was the only one in the clan who was nice to him and protected him from the stubbornness of Jakub, who was always hassling him about something he did. Steven was mostly quite around him, not wanting anything to do with him at all. Oz and Jakub got in constant arguments and confrontations over what one wanted to do and what one did. But it wasn't until around 2001 when Jakub and Oz almost killed each other.

They were in Canada when Jakub relapsed and killed a man who was working out in his field. Jakub was about to kill the wife and daughter when Oz stepped in and pulled him back, telling him he would be heartless for killing a child. Jakub almost killed from from pulling him back and Mason broke up the fight, thinking it was Oz's fault for Jakub and his relapse. He then banished Oz from the clan, leaving him alone to wander. SInce then he's been around Canada and some of Alaska, coming down to Washington about 3 months ago and hunting some game from then on until he stumbled upon our family.

"At first I was unsure if your family were really vegetarian vampires, but as I watched for some time, I realized they were. But the one thing that shocked me the most was seeing you as part of their family." Oz told me as we walked along the forest. he jumped over a fallen tree with ease, but held out his hand for me to take as I climbed over, carefully watching me as if I was the most precious thing in the world, or his world.

"Yeah, it is odd I know. But they adopted me when I was very young." I explained as we walked on. Oz nodded his head along from what I told him.

"But I must say they treat you as if you were one of their own." Oz also stated in a shocked tone.

"I find that hard to believe, since I'm not as fast, or smart, or even beautiful for that matter..." I trailed off, seeing him look over at me and smiling.

"Now _that_, I find hard to believe." Oz told me and I looked down with a smile on my face, blushing. I heard him take in a breath and I looked up suddenly.

"You know, I haven't seen a human blush like that before, not in years." He told me in a honest tone and I bit my lip. If he was trying to flirt with me, man was he nailing it quite nicely.

"And you know I haven't seen another vampire other than my family members and the Denali clan, well none like you." I replied back to him. He smiled at me and looked forward as we walked.

"I'm curious, have you ever met any other vampires outside your old clan?" I asked him in curiosity.

"A couple, but none of them liked me. But there was this one female who I think liked me, as more than a fellow vampire if you know what I mean." He started. _Great_, I said in my head, _of course he would have a girl after him, he's gorgeous!_

"But I didn't like her in that way, she wasn't my..." Oz trailed off and looked down to the floor.

"Your_ La Tua Cantante_?" I asked him. Oz looked at me with surprise. I chuckled and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Yeah, I heard that plenty of times from my family. It means your singer, am I right?" I asked him again and he nodded.

"Yes. I heard of it from Mason and Rose, but I have never come across someone's blood that sang to me, not until..." He trailed off again, clenching his fingers into a fist as I looked at him with concern. I took in a deep breath as I stood in front of him, making him stop in his tracks and face me completely.

"Why were you looking at me through my window at the edge of the forest?" I asked him suddenly. I then felt like a idiot when he looked down and ruffled his own hair. But when he said the next words, I almost fainted:

"I looked because your blood sang me. Harper, I think you're my_ La Tua Cantante_."

Oh God, I'm falling for a vampire....


	9. From A Cello to A Intimate Moment

It had been about a month and a half since he told me I was his _La Tua Cantante_, or his singer. At first I was shocked, I mean how could I vampire decide I was his singer, only knowing me for at least a day or two? BUt Carlisle explained to me if a scent is so strong to a vampire it would be their singer, even if it meant they have known each other for so little time. So in our case, a day.

Oz stayed with our family throughout the last month, and thinking he scared me he wanted to know a lot about me. I told him likes, dislikes, favorite color, food, book which was Alice In Wonderland of course, and I did the same thing to him.

He told me he played the cello, well he used to. He remembered learning how to play in his human life by his mother, but stopped when he was taken by Nazis. Later in the 1950's when he was with his clan, his clan sister Sarah got him into playing agin, but suddenly stopped when he and Jakub broke out into a fight. He hasn't played since, though he does miss it terribly. He's also loved to read. He remembered taking books with him constantly as the clan traveled from place to place. Whatever book he found in the trash or on the street, he would take and read, filling his brain with knowledge and imagination.

So I knew more about him, that he liked to go fast as well as my family members, he could provide me with vast knowledge of many cultures because of his traveling and that he loves to listen to symphonies play classical music. He started picking me up from school everyday, with permission from Esme and Carlisle of course, and then we would drive around and talk about anything and everything under the sun. The rest of my family, excluding Edward and Rosalie of course, loved him being around he felt more like family than ever. But I could he was missing music as he heard Edward play on the piano every once in awhile. Knowing this I struck up and idea.

"Harper?" Oz asked aloud as he walked down the hallway towards my room. It was a Tuesday after school and Oz went off hunting, forgetting to pick me up from school. But I knew he needed to get some blood in his system of else he would be cranky and a cranky Oz is never fun for me to be with. So I called Carlisle to tell Oz I was getting a ride from Emily, also picking up something along the way. I placed his present behind me and placed my blanket over it, obviously making it look like a present as I heard him approach the door and knocking gently.

"Come in." I called out, facing the door as he walked in and smiled, seeing me hide something behind him. He wore baggy jeans and a new band shirt Alice bought him a couple of days go. Rely on Alice to get new things for anyone new in the family. Alice also styled his hair, which at first I didn't like because naturally he had beautiful hair, but now I couldn't help but to think he looked sexy. He leaned against the door and cocked his head, which I find adorable.

"Carlisle told me you got a ride from Emily?" He asked in a curious tone. I nodded my head and smiled at him.

"Yes I did, and now I have something for you! So close your eyes!" I told him in a smile and he laughed, sighing and closing his eyes. I walked over to stand behind him and I placed my hands over his eyes. He chuckled as I felt his cool skin against my warm hands.

"Now, walk forward about a foot." I told him in a smile as he walked forward slowly and gracefully as if he was still looking to where he was going. I sighed, great to try and hide something from a vampire. He probably knew what was going on, but played along with me, and I loved that about him.

"Come on Harper, you didn't have to get me anything." He told me as I placed him in front of his present. I giggled.

"Keep your eyes closed." I whispered in his ear and he smirked. I pulled my hands away and walked over to his present, placing my hand on the blanket.

"Now, I asked my friend if you could borrow this for awhile, since she is not using it for the time being. So don't break it or anything." I warned him as I saw him turn his head slightly.

"Oh really? What is it that you're letting me burrow?" Oz asked in a curious tone and a smirk on his face. I smiled, feeling giddy to see his reaction.

"Open your eyes." I said to him simply. His eyes opened, the pair of golden orbs settling on the object next to me. I could tell he was confused.

"You said you played at a time." I explained as I took my blanket off from the object. It was a cello case and his eyes instantly widened.

"And since you miss playing, I think it's time you played once more." I replied as I unhooked the confines of the case, opening it to have him look. There, inside the cello case, was a cello, duh! But emily recently bought for her recital that just passed so she wasn't going to use it for awhile. It had a deep red look to it and looked brand new. Oz was shocked to see it in front of him and he cautiously took a step forward.

"You're letting me burrow a cello?" He asked in a hoarse tone, as if he lost his voice and finally found it. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Emily's not using it until she moves into her dorm in september, so I asked her if you could play it for awhile." I explained as he stood right in front of it and grazed his fingers over the strings and wood. I could see he was shocked to see a cello in front of me. He looked back up at me and gave me one of the sweetest smiles I've ever seen him give me. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back, breathing him his unique scent of rain and tree pine. I felt his fingers press gently into my back, his usual tacit when he hugged me. When he pulled me away and smiled, looking down at the cello.

"Well, aren't you going to play me something?" I teased and me chuckled, looking back at me.

"I'm a rusty, sad to say. I haven't played in over fifty years..." He trailed off but I smiled.

"I don't care, I at least want hear what you remember." I reassured him, placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently. I felt his cold shoulder through the thin fabric of his shirt and he smiled, picking up the cell carefully. I walked over to my desk and pushed my chair over for him to sit in. He sat down gracefully and got the bow from the case as well. As he was getting ready to play I sat down in front of him on the edge of my bed, indian style and waiting patiently for him. When got himself situated he looked up at me and smiled.

"I learned how to play this from Sarah when we were in Rome." He informed me as he placed the bow across the strings. I smiled at him as the first note filled the air.

Not only did he play it good, but it he played fast, I mean real fast. It sounded like heaven to me as he played the piece. And what the piece was made me smile even more, it was _Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major Prelude_. I've heard it so many times from Edward listening to the Yo Yo Ma version but this was better, way better. He played at the same speed and at the same rate, but he sounded more beautiful.

Every note that he held out, I could tell me poured everything into that note. It felt like he was signing but instead it was through strings. I watched his fingers fly through the piece at a blinding speed and force. As soon as the piece was over, he looked up at me as I was still shocked from his performance.

"Wow, and you said you were rusty, come on! That was amazing!" I said to him in a smile and he smiled, looking down at the cello and gripping the neck a bit tightly.

"Yeah well that was rusty. You should hear me when I've been playing daily." he replied in a smirk. Before I could say anything back to him, I heard something by my doorway and I looked, seeing Edward with his arms folded in front of him and staring at Oz with a look I couldn't register. Oz looked at him too, hoping he would get some kind of positive reaction from him.

"You're good." I couldn't help but smile when Edward said those words. It felt like a whole ton of weight was lifted off of me, and I was worried that he wasn't ever going to like as much as the rest of the family. Oz smiled at him and nodded his head.

"Thank you." He could only reply. As Edward smiled at him and walked out of the room, Oz was putting the cello back in its case. As soon as he got the cello case propped up against the wall, he walked over to me and picked me up in his arms, hugging me and swinging me around, almost in the same manner as Emmett. I squealed as he placed me back on the ground with his arms around my waist and my hands behind his neck.

"Thank you so much Harper. This was probably the best present I could of ever received," Oz replied to me in excitement and hugged me again. I breathed him in and felt him freeze in my grasp. I looked at him with concern and I saw him look right at me as if he was trying not to hurt me, or worse, kill me. I knew vampires had to have limits with people around him, and I pulled away instantly, fearing i pushed it too far with him.

"You smell like lavendar...." he said in a dazed tone. I blushed and looked down, trying not to look so obvious, but I could feel his cold fingers pressing underneath my chin and making me look at him with his golden orbs.

"I promise, I won't hurt you. It would be devastating if I never saw you blush like this again." He reassured as I felt his open hand take my hand. His cool fingers and palm instantly as me down and sighed in content. With his left and holding mine and his right hand and arm around my waist, I felt safe and secure. It was as if we were in our own little world, with nothing but us. But as soon as I felt his hand squeeze mine, our moment was broken.

"Harper, can you come down here please?!" It was Esme. I blinked and pulled away, seeing him slightly sad from our moment being lost. I smiled and briefly placed my hand on his cold cheek. He instantly nuzzled into my hand I saw his lips were so close to the heel of my palm when I pulled away. It was too much and we both knew that if I as going to let it continue, he could kill me.

"I'm sorry." I replied to him as I turned by head to the bedroom door.

"I'm coming, give me a sec!" I said aloud for my mom to hear. I turned my head back and saw Oz smiled.

"It's alright. Just exploring our boundaries right?" he asked me in a grin and I smiled, nodding my head. I gave him one last reassuring squeeze with his hand and I walked out of my bedroom and down the stairs in a instant. I knew it was cruel to leave him like that, but if I stayed a bit longer I knew it would of been a bad thing for both of us. I had to know my boundaries around him, and that was something I never had to worry about with my family.

So then I knew, this was going to be a whole new adventure, for the both of us.


	10. What's Baseball?

Nowadays around the Cullen household we were seeing less and less of Edward, since he is now infactuated with Bella Swan. I for one didn't mind at all, she made him happier and less cranky, plus to get him out of the house and out of Oz's hair, well that was good too. But I could tell he was really falling for her, and I knew how he felt, kind of.

Since our own intimate moment in my room, both Oz and myself got to hang out a lot more. He started playing the cello everyday, which not only made me happy, but also Esme. Since she loved hearing classical music throughout the day, having a performer at our home made her happier than ever, and Oz didn't mind playing constantly. Even Rosalie started to like his music, but she was a working process anywho.

I noticed the simple gestures Oz would do to me or around me. Holding the door for me whenever I would pass through, picking me up from school, and always giving me hugs that lingered a bit longer than a usual friendship hug would.

One thing I didn't want him to worry about was my nightmares. Though after I met him they stopped happening every night, but every once in awhile I had a real bad scare. Jasper asked if I should tell Oz, but I didn't want him to worry or think of me as a freak of nature, so I told Jasper I will tell him when the time was right.

He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day, and when I do have bad days he would get me flowers. Cheesy, I know, but I love it when he get me flowers because I have never gotten flowers from a person of the opposite sex before. Maybe it's because I had three brothers who would give death glares to any boys who took a liking to me, which was slim mind you. So I started to wonder if I was really falling for him.

For one, there was his overall appearance. He looked like a angel to me, how his hair was messy but in a perfect way, how his smile made me wanna blush furiously and how his voice, of his voice, made me melt on the inside. And secondly there was his personality. He could make me laugh at any time or day, but he was also sincere and a overall gentlemen. But he was a stubborn kind of guy too, almost protective of me whenever I wanted to do something out of the norm, but I already had three brothers who did that I didn't need a boyfriend for that too. Then there's his overreactions and overanalyzing of things, I swear sometimes he is too wound up for his own good.

All of my thoughts and feelings going through my brain was about to be put to the test, with a small game of baseball.

I was playing some a song I learned from Edward on his grand piano while he was off with Bella. He taught me _Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28. No. 4_ a couple of years back and I play it all the time now. It had a sad sound to it, but I love how the melody sounds so haunting and dreary.

I then felt cold hands on my shoulder and they squeezed my shoulders gently, I smiled and kept playing as the hands moved towards my neck, rubbing out my aching neck and I sighed in content.

"I didn't know you play." I heard Oz say softly as He sat down next to me on the piano stool as I kept playing the piece, looking at him and drinking in his appearance. He styled his hair, yet again, I think Alice has him hooked on hair styling. He wore dark blue skinny jeans and some sneakers Emmett let him have since he bought new ones, and a nice black v neck shirt. I smiled at him and shrugged.

"It must of slipped my mind." I replied back to him in a tease and his chuckled as I ended the piece, resting my fingers on the black and white keys simply.

"It sounded very lovely to me." He told me and smiled. Once again, being the human that I was, I blushing and looked down briefly and looked back up at him.

"How is it that you can make me blush constantly?" I asked him as he raised his hand to brush some hair out of my eyes.

"What can I say, I intrigue you." He replied simply. His fingers touched my skin barely and I had another another flashback again.

_First I saw myself when I was 11 years old, learning how to play the piece that I just played. I was sitting at a piano with Edward, who was placing my fingers on the correct keys. Then blackness and another memory came back. I saw myself at the age of 4, crying over a scrapped knee and Carlisle holding me to make it better. But the last flashback was of me when I was sixteen in my old bed in Alaska, turning back and forth in my sleep through a nightmare. I woke up in a scream and the flashbacks went away._ I saw Oz pulling his hand away and having a shocked look on his face. I wanted to turn away from him, knowing he found out about my nightmares.

"Harper, that last flashback..." He started and I breathed in deeply, looking at him completely and taking both of his cold hands in my own warm ones.

"Oz, don't about me and my nightmares. I've been having them for awhile because of my anxiety and stress. I'm graduating soon with Jasper and Rosalie, and after that my birthday is coming up..." I trailed off and bit my lip, hoping he understood. He nodded his head and I felt his thumb rubbing the top of my hand gently, trying to soothe me.

"Just promise me you'll tell me if they get any worse. The last thing I want is to see you in pain." He told me in a serious tone and I nodded my head. I knew he was scared for me and my nightmares, which made me feel good to know he was caring about me as more than a friend.

"Hey you two, come on! There's a storm going on tonight and you know what that means!" Emmett waltzed in, sporting a baseball cap on sideways with a wide grin. I smiled, getting up from the piano and pulling Oz along by his hand.

"Baseball game? We haven't played since Alaska!" I replied in a excited tone. Since my family likes to play baseball, they could only do it when there was a storm with thunder and all. So since there was a storm tonight, I smiled at the thought of a game. I looked over at Oz with a grin.

"Come play with us, it's really fun I promise. Well I don't play myself, I watch with Esme." I explained to him as Emmett walked closer to us, still smiling.

"Yeah, come on Oz. I'm sure Carlisle and Esme would want you to play with us. Hell we can use another outfielder, it's usually only me and Edward." Emmett explained as Oz squeezed my hand with his.

"Well, I don't know...how to...play." He replied simply and looked at Emmett, who's jaw dropped. I was shocked as well.

"I mean, I know baseball. I've seen humans play it before when I traveled, but I never learned how to play before." Oz explained clearly. Emmett was still shocked.

"You've got to be kidding me! How do you not know how to play baseball?!" Emmett asked in a shocked tone as I giggled.

"Emmett, leave him be." I said to my big brother.

"Oh, I need to tell Carlisle this one, and Alice!" Emmett replied in a mischievous smile and rushed out of the room before I could even stop him. I sighed and rubbed Oz's arm.

"Is it fun to play? Because I've seen human play it before and it looks fun, but also complicated." Oz asked me in a curious tone and I giggled.

"It's very fun. And don't worry, we'll made it simple for you to understand, I promise." I reassured him as the rest of my family minus Edward stood in the doorway, all wearing proper baseball attire.

"Emmett as informed me you have never played baseball before." Carlisle started. I could see and hear Emmett giggled behind Rosalie, who's face as stern and blank. Esme only smiled at the both of us, Jasper had a smirk on his face and Alice's grin was as wide as Emmett's. Oz nodded and bit his lip, he looked uneasy.

"No need to worry about it. Baseball is simple to play and to learn, I promise you that. I can tell you the rules and regulations of the game while we go out to the field we are playing at. However, I wanted to let you know, Edward has invited Bella to come play with us." Carlisle explained as Rosalie gave a low growl at the mention of Bella. I froze in my spot, squeezing Oz's hand tighter than ever. Oz wasn't used to Bella's blood, hell he's never met her before. What if he relapses and goes for Bella? And is he does go for Bella, Edward would hurt him.

"Jasper has recommended a short hunting trip before we go. Since you have never meet Bella, nor are you used to other human scents than Harper's scent, we don't want you to do anything that you might regret." Carlisle explained in a calming tone. Oz nodded his head beside me.

"Of course, that seems like a good idea." He replied in a smile and I smiled as well. At least he was taking a precaution. Jasper smiled and walked to the front door, looking at Oz as he walked.

"Shall we?" He asked in a grin and Oz smiled back. Oz looked at me briefly and then did something that almost made me faint: kissed me cheek. I felt his ice cold lips pressed against my blushing warm cheek and then instantly he pulled away and walked over towards Jasper, both running out the door in a flash. I stood there motionless and I pressed my fingers up to my cheek, feeling the tingling on my flesh. I heard Alice giggle as she wrapped her arm around me, leading me to the living room.

"Come on Juilet. Romeo will be back soon." She reassured me in her quirky tone and I smiled.

Yes, he was my Romeo afterall.


	11. The Game and The Discovery

I got on my baseball jersey and some skinny jeans. My hair was a big wild today so I decided to run some gel through my hair tame somewhat. Placing the baseball cap over my head and hair, I smiled somewhat at how I looked. Sure at first I didn't like how I looked, but since Oz came along I felt better on how I looked in the mirror.

"You ready honey?" Carlisle called aloud as he walked in my room. I nodded my head and faced him, seeing him smile at me. He walked over and in a fatherly way he placed some stray hairs behind my ear.

"Thanks again, for letting Oz stay with us." I thanked him as he smiled at me.

"Not at problem what so ever. I'm glad to see such a change in you since we invited him in our home." Carlisle said to me, which made me smiled even bigger.

"Well he does make me happy." I said to him in a honest tone.

"Am I am glad he does. He's a wonderful young man and he treats you well." Carlisle added to my remark. He makes it sound like we were getting married or something important.

"But I am concerned about......both of your boundaries...." Carlisle ended and gave a nervous sigh. Oh dear, I know something like this will come up and I kept staring at him, giving him my undivided attention.

"I'm just worried about you and Oz. I know he is always in control, but it still worries me as a father if something were to spin out of control." He explained in a stern tone and I nodded in agreement.

"I understand, but Carlisle....dad, I trust him with his control and I know he won't hurt me. It's hard to explain, but I feel.....safe when I'm near him" I tried to explain, but to find the right words was hard for me.

"I see. You two are getting close from what I can see..." Carlisle trailed off and smiled, "And I can see those feelings you have for him are not going to fade away anytime soon."

"Sorry to disappoint you, dad, but no they're not going to fade away anytime soon." I told him honestly. As I thought about it, I couldn't picture myself liking anyone else as much as I liked Oz, no one at all.

"Oh trust me, I am far from disappointed. I think everyone in the house loves him as one of our own members." Carlisle reassured me.

"Even Rose?" I asked in a shocked tone. He chuckled.

"Well, though she doesn't show it, you know she only wants you to be happy." Carlisle told me and squeezed my shoulder gently. He then gestured to the door.

"I believe Oz and Jasper are back from their hunt, shall we get ready to go then?" He asked me and I nodded, following my father out of my room and down the stairs.

Oz and myself drove in Carlisle's car with both of my parents, whereas Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett and Alice when in Rosalie's car. Throughout the whole ride Oz held my hand gently as he stared out the window, seeing the trees go by in a fast pace.

"Did you have a good hunting session, Oz?" Esme asked from the passenger seat of the car. Oz turned his head in an instant forward and nodded his head.

"Yes I did, thank you. Jasper lead me to a dear pack that was three miles due north." He explained as he looked over at me. I saw how gold his eyes were, so he was in good shape. Without even thinking of what I was doing, I reach up with my open hand and moved some strains of hair on his head, seeing him smile.

"And I see that gel Alice gave you didn't ruin your style while hunting." I told him in a smirk and he laughed briefly before looking down.

"Oz, what's wrong?" I asked in a concerned tone, tugging at our joined hands lightly to have him look at me again.

"I'm just worried about meeting Bella, and If I do something to upset you." He told me simply.

"Oz, you're in good hand with us. We won't let you do anything you'll regret." Carlisle said aloud from the driver's seat, looking in the rear view mirror briefly. I took our wound hands and brought the top of his to my lips, kissing it briefly and smiling at him. He smiled back at me.

"You'll be okay." I told him in a smile. He just nodded at me and gave me that signature grin I knew I fell in love with.

"Ah, we're here." Carlisle said aloud as he pulled onto the large field next to Rosalie's car. The four of them were already out on the field, discussing something from where I was as Carlisle turned off the engine. We all piled out and walked over, Oz still holding my hand as we walked behind my parents.

"Ah, Oz! I brought you this!" Alice said in her pixie voice, tossing Oz a jersey. Emmett and Rosalie were trying to figure out who batted first with our wooden bat whereas Jasper looked over at me and smiled. He crooked his finger at me and I walked over, letting go of Oz and already missing his cool feeling. As I approached my older brother, he wrapped a cool arm around my shoulders.

"Should I be concerned about the current feelings you are harboring?" Jasper asked in a curious tone. I gave him a confusing look.

"Oh come on Harper. It's like being around Edward and Bella lately, it was cute at first but now I might get sick." Jasper replied to me and I almost wanted to laugh, but I saw a serious look .

"Just keep your emotions in tact for me please." He replied back to me. I smiled and gave him a short hug.

"Of course, I'll try to be sane around you." I promised him and saw him smile at me. Then the sound of Emmett's jeep filled the air and I looked over at Oz, seeing him get stiff near my mother.

"Don't worry, I'll protect him." Jasper whispered in my ear and squeezed me gently with his arm around me. I smiled at him and gave him a quick thanks as I saw Bella and Edward coming toward us. I walked over to Oz quickly and took his hand in mine.

"How are you doing?" I asked him quietly and I felt him shiver slightly next to me.

"I'm okay, it's just her scent threw me off." He replied to me. I wanted to give him a quizzling look, was her blood really that tempting.

"But her scent is nothing compared to yours, I promise." He whispered to me in my ear and squeezed my hand reassuringly. I smiled at him and kissed his cold cheek, feeling a spark go off in my chest. He had a big grin on his face as we both walked over with Esme to greet Bella and Edward. We stopped about a foot away from them both as I saw Bella eyeing Oz, clutching Edward's hand tightly as I did to Oz.

"Bella, this is Harper's boyfriend, Oz Gracen. Oz, this is Bella Swan, my girlfriend." Edward introduced them both. Oz took a hesitant step forward and I saw Edward give a protective shift in position, almost standing in front of Bella when he reached his hand out. I eyed Edward, telling him with my eyes to back off.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Swan." He said aloud with his angel of a voice. Bella smiled and shook his hand, but I only kept my eyes on Edward, hoping he wouldn't snap at her.

"Edward, calm down, he went hunting with Jasper before we came. Give him some credit." I said to him in my mind, knowing he would hear my voice within his head. He eyed me and nodded his head once as Bella and Oz shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you too, Oz. Edward told me about you and Harper." Bella replied to him as they pulled away from each other. Oz instantly grabbed my hand in his as Edward did the same with Bella.

"Come on lovebirds! We're gonna miss the first thunder if we keep lollygagging!" Emmett yelled at us from his spot with Rosalie. We all smiled and walked over to the group. Edward and Emmett went to the outfield as Rosalie, Jasper and Carlisle stood by Esme near home base.

"Come on Bella, you have be umpire with Harper, and make sure they don't cheat." Esme said to Bella, wrapping a motherly arm around her as they walked. I pulled Oz along to my mom and Bella.

"Oz, do you wanna bat first, or go out in the outfield with Edward and Emmett?" Esme asked Oz as we all stood together.

"Come on Oz!" Emmett yelled at him from the outfield. Oz smiled and looked back at me.

"Catch a ball for me." I said to him, receiving a kiss on the cheek in return as he pulled away and jogged out onto the field. He stood in the middle of the field whereas Edward was on his left and Emmett was on his right. Rosalie walked up to bat as Bella and myself stood behind my mother, who crouched down and held out her hand to catch the ball Alice was about to throw. Alice threw the first pitch and Rosalie instantly slammed the ball, making a thunder sound from the bit of the bat and the ball and the ball skyrocketed out of sight.

"Okay, now I see why you guys need the thunder. That's got to be a home-run right?" Bella asked aloud as I saw Edward speed off into the woods after the ball in blinding speed.

"Edward is very fast." Esme said in a smirk as a reply when the ball was in the air, soaring at us as Rosalie was about to come to home base. Esme caught the ball and tagged her out. Bella said she was out, but she got a cold glare from Rosalie instead. I snickered and looked at Bella.

"Don't worry, she does that to me too." I reassured her as Carlisle swung at the next pitch. I looked and saw Oz running backwards and catching the ball in a graceful manner, smiling to himself as he threw the ball back to Alice.

"Damn, Oz! I think we have ourselves a ball player!" Alice hooted from the mound and I heard Emmett cheering her on. But the best thing I saw was Edward smiling at Oz, giving him a nod of good job and getting back into the game.

"So, how long have you known Oz?" Bella asked me as we watched Jasper go up to the plate.

"A couple of months, actually. I met him when he came through Forks and was looking for a place to stay until he could figure out where to go, but he decided to stay with us for awhile." I explained to her as JAsper slammed the ball.

"He seems very mellow and nice." Bella replied aloud as she watched the game,"Edward talked about him once or twice, but not a whole lot."

"Well I find that odd because he talks about you a lot." I said to her in a smirk. I saw her smile and have a small blush on her cheeks.

"But hey, I'm glad he talks abut you. You make him happy." I reassured her and she smiled at me.

"Thanks." She could only reply.

"You're quite welcome." I said back to her and we both went back to watching the game. The game went on for some time after that, seeing batter after batter go up and get out from my siblings. After a few minutes, everything was going fine until I saw Alice freeze in her spot and looked over her shoulder at the forest.

"STOP!" She cried out suddenly. I saw every single vampire on the field freeze and stare at Alice as Bella gave me a confused look. Alice then ran towards me and Bella, the rest of my family and Oz following suite. They all met in front of us.

"How many?" Carlisle asked as Edward rushed to Bella's side. I felt Oz's arms wrap around me as I tried to concentrate on Alice.

"Three of them, coming our way." She informed us.

"Come on Bella." I hear Edward say, gently guiding Bella to Emmett's jeep.

"It's too late, they'll be here in one minute." Alice said aloud, making Edward freeze in his spot. Oz looked at me and I was frozen in my spot. Three vampire were coming our way

Oh no.....


	12. Game Plan

"Harper, are you alright?" Oz asked me as I was shocked from what I heard. Three vampires, coming to us? This was bad, real bad! For one, Bella and I are human, so we could be dinner for them in an instant. Two, I didn't know how Oz would react around other vampires who drank human blood. Thirdly, did I mention I was a human?

"What are we going to do?" I asked him in a shocked and scared tone. Edward was fixing Bella's hair, but Rosalie snorted.

"Like that's gonna help, I can smell her from across the field." Rosalie sneered at both Edward and Bella as Oz moved my hair around as well, thinking it was a good idea. I started to shake from being scared and Oz placed both hands on my head, making me stare at him.

"I'm going to protect you, I promise." He said to me in a stern tone. I saw how serious he was as his golden eyes looked back into my green eyes. I nodded my head and he gave me a small smile.

"Just keep her behind us, along with Harper." Carlisle told Edward as they all faced the forest in a flank. I stayed right behind Oz, somewhat wrapping my fingers around his big jersey just to make sure he wouldn't leave me anytime soon. I looked beyond his left shoulder and felt another chill down my spine as three figures came out from the mist and walked towards us. One of them had dark skin and long black hair, the second one was a female with wild red hair and extremely pale skin, even for a vampire, and the third had tan vampire skin and blond long hair that was tied back from his face. All three of them looked wild and foreign to me, but I was used to the the cultural styles of vampires, nothing like them.

As they stood about a foot away from us and started a conversation with my dad, I could feel tension in the air with the rest of the family. It was only Bella and myself who had no idea what was going on in their brains. I could see Bella was getting scared as the three vampire decided they wanted to play with us.

"Of course, a couple of us were leaving anyways, you can take their spots." Leave it to my dad to keep the peace between vampires. Bella eyed me from my right side, I knew Carlisle was trying to get the both of us away from them as fast as possible. As Edward turned to lead Bella away, I could see Oz turned to grasp my hand. I took it in a fast pace and he turned around, looking beyond me and walking past me, leading me. But as soon as I saw the blond vampire, he was staring right back at me. He cocked his head to the side as if knowing something about it, and it gave me the worse chills down my spine. He turned around and smiled from the redhead's remark of the one with the wicked curveball. They were walking out to the outfield with the other vampire as I turned to follow Oz. Wrapping a protective arm around me, he led me back to Emmett's car, following Edward and Bella. But I then heard the voice of the blond vampire.

"You brought a snack." He replied in a cold sneer. Then, all of the sudden, Edward and the rest of my family gave out low growls and crouched down low in front of the three vampires. Esme rammed Bella behind her as Oz whirled around to face them, showing his teeth and growling a bit louder than the others and pressing me behind him.

"A human?" The black skinned vampier asked in horror as he was the only one standing up straight, whereas the rest of the vampires were in fighting positions, staring each other down. The vampire then looked at me and I felt Oz's grip on me tighten.

"Two humans? You are different." He replied in a grin and took one step towards me. Oz was the first to snarl at him, followed by Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie. He fell back with his two vampire comrades.

"They both are with us." Carlisle said in a cold tone, eyeing the group in front of them as he was in front of our family. The black skinned vampire nodded and backed off a bit from our family.

"I believe we have no need to be here, let us go." He then said aloud as he eyed my family. He then backed up, eyeing the blond and redheaded vampire.

"James." he said to the blond vampire, who was eyeing Bella and myself back and forth. He then turned away, wrapping his arm around the redhead again. As soon as they disappeared into the forest, everyone around me was moving. Bella was pulled away by Edward in a fast motion as I was pulled by Oz. He practically ran with me beside him to Carlisle's car. Carlisle, Esme, myself and Oz shot in the car and drove off in a fast rate. Oz quickly wrapped his arms around me as he pressed my head into his chest, to hide me from anyone seeing me. I started shaking within his hold on me, I was too scared to know what was going on.

"We need to get back to the house and figure out what to do. That blond vampire looked as if he wanted both of them." Carlisle explained as we drove down the lane. He sounded scared, for the firs time I heard him being scared. From my position in Oz's arms I looked and saw Esme looking at me in a worried way. Carlisle then took her hand.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out." He reassured her and they both looked back to the road. I looked up at Oz, who had his eyes everywhere outside to see if he could spot something coming after me. I laid my head back on his chest and tried not to cry or look scared, but it was all too real. They might be after me and Bella. I didn't want to be a vampire dinner snack at all, and I knew how powerful and dangerous vampire were, especially vampires who drank human blood. They were wild and lethal, down right dangerous.

When we pulled into the garage, we all got out of the vehicle in a fast rate. But Carlisle instantly turned out to the forest from inside the garage, he knew something was up.

"Oz, get her inside and help her pack some clothes, now." He said in a stern tone, walking towards the forest with Esme right beside him. Oz and I walked into the house and up the stairs and into my room. I went for the closet to get my duffle bag as Oz looked out the window with cold eyes. He looked so afraid, angry and concerned at the same time. When I came back from the bathroom with my toiletries in hand, he was still at the windowsill. I walked over slowly and wrapped my arms around him from the back, feeling him tense up for a quick second before relaxing and turning in my arms, hugging me close and with no force. He rested my head against his chest and felt like crying again. He hushed me and rocked me back and forth as if singing me a lullaby, kissing my hair.

"Oz, what's gonna happen to me?" I asked in a weak tone as his grip on me tightened.

"Nothing will happen to you. I won't let them come near you, you mean everything to me." He whispered in my ear, rubbing my arms and back, trying to calm me down. I still cried in his chest, wishing none of this was happening. Why couldn't things be simple. Just me and my family in our own little world, and Oz staying with me. If only that world existed, then I would be happy. It's weird how Oz and I were in this moment when all hell was breaking loose. But I loved being held by Oz and feeling his lips against my cheek and my hair. I felt a connection with him deep down, and it would only intensify when he would hold my hand, kiss my cheek or any other small thing.

"Come on, we should go downstairs and get ready." He whispered to me as he looked down at me. I looked up at him and nodded my head, feeling his cold finger wipe away my tears on my cheeks. He then grabbed my bag and took my hand, both of us walking towards the stairs, but as we reached the top of the banister, Oz suddenly stopped and threw me behind him, crouching slightly and showing his teeth.

"Oz, what is it?" I asked in a quiet tone. Before he could answer, I saw at the bottom of the staircase, the black skinned vampire talking to Edward, Bella and Carlisle. At first I wanted to yell out to them, but I saw the vampire walk away in a calm state, leaving the house gracefully. As soon as he left, I went around Oz and ran down the stairs to my father.

"Dad." I said aloud and saw him look at me. I ran into his arms, feeling like crying again. He wrapped his arms around me as I saw Oz come down the stairs slowly behind me with my duffle bag in his hand.

"Don't worry honey, we're going to figure something out." My dad murmured in my hair. I smiled and pulled away, wiping the access tears. We then all headed into the garage, meeting up with the rest of the family. I overheard EMmett and Jasper talking about killing the other two vampires, whereas the blond wasn't in the conversation, why wasn't he? I looked over and saw Edward staying real close to Bella, making sure she was alright. Then it all clicked: The blond was going after Bella.

"I can take her!" Emmett said in a proud boast, talking with Jasper. I felt Oz was right behind me and I turned to hide my head in his chest.

"I hate violence." I muttered and I heard him chuckle, wrapping a arm around me and rubbing my back.

"I know you do, which is why you won't watch _300_ with me, or _Sin City_. In fact all of he good movies were taking off the lists." He murmured into my ear and I could help but smile against his chest. It was true, I was not a fan of seeing blood or watching violence. I turned by head and saw Edward placing Bella in the car, talking to her as he did.

"Now, for Harper. We are not sure if James is after you as well, his mind is mostly set on Bella. BUt we don't want you to stay here, it's too dangerous." Carlisle explained as he looked back and forth between me and Bella.

"I know of a cabin along the Canada Border. It used to belong to a small family, but they've left it about a year or so ago." Oz explained from my embrace and I looked up at him in shock.

"Oz, I don't know..." Carlisle started.

"You can have Rosalie or someone come out with us and look at the place to see if it's okay. I promise, it's completely safe. I wouldn't of suggested it if I wasn't certain of Harper's safety, and that is my top priority." Oz explained in a stern tone as his hold on me tightened. I saw Carlisle's face as he studied Oz's face, thinking about it deeply.

"Fine, but I'll go with you and see if it is safe, it's not that I don't trust you Oz, because I do. I just want to scope the area and make sure their scents are not near her." Carlisle finally said, pointing to me and I smiled. Good thinking on Oz's part. Oz pulled away from me to talk to Carlisle as I saw Jasper and Alice walk over to me after talking to Edward.

"Stay safe little missy. I'll have my eye on you." Alice said to me as I got a hug from her. What did she mean by that? I pulled away from her in a confused manner.

"We're taking Bella over to Phoenix to get James off her track. Rosalie is going to help by tracing Bella's scent around in the forest to lead him away from here. So, we might not see you for awhile." Alice explained as I tried not to cry, being a freaking a mess. Now I was scared for not only myself and Bella, but for my siblings. They were going into harm's way for us, and it scared me if something would happen to them. Alice only smiled and me and squeezed my arms.

"Now don't go all sad on me, you know can handle myself. Besides, you have Oz, who I know for a fact will protect you from anything." she reassured me and I smiled from that thought. She giggled and walked away, getting in the car Bella was already in. Jasper walked up to me and gave me a strong hug, kissing my forehead as he pulled away.

"Keep out of trouble Cricket, and don't worry about us. We'll we okay." Jasper told me in his deep tone. I nodded my head, giving a small laugh from him calling me by the nickname he gave me and still called me to this day. He walked away and went into the driver's seat. I walked over to Bella and smiled at her as she sat in the back of the car.

"You're gonna be okay." I told her in a shaking tone. She could tell I was crying and she smiled.

"I know, and so will you." she replied back to me and I smiled back at me. I turned and saw Edward, who looked like he was about to break himself. I saw him look at me with his stern look.

"Don't do anything stupid, you hear me?" I told him in a stern tone as I wrapped my arms around my big brother, holding him close and feeling him hold me back.

"I won't, I'm only going to try and protect you both." He replied back to me as we pulled away.

"Yeah, you know us sis, we have to take care of family." Emmett replied, hugging me after Edward did, who was now saying his goodbye.

"Same goes for you, Emmett. You need to come back as my brother." I warned him as he pulled away and Rosalie gave me a hug.

"You worry too much, you know that?" Emmett said aloud as Rosalie pulled away from me. I smiled at them both and saw Esme come over to me with tears in my eyes. I hugged her tightly.

"If anything should happen to you while you're away, I don't know what I'll do." She replied in a chocked sob as she pulled away.

"Don't worry mom, Oz will protect me." I reassured her and she smiled at me. She moved some of my hair away as I felt Oz touch my arm.

"Come, we'll use Emmett's Jeep to drive to the outskirts of the Canada Border, then we'll run from there." Oz told me silently and I followed him to the big red jeep. I looked back one more time, seeing Edward talk to Bella as Jasper and Alice were in the front seats, Emmett and Rosalie were talking in the garage and Esme was watching me go to the car. Carlisle was in the passenger seat as I climbed in the back and Oz went in the front. He started up the car and it roared to up.

"When was the last time you drove a actual vehicle?" I asked him in curiosity and in shock.

"Emmett showed me how to drive this thing the other day while you went to Emily's house. No need to worry about my driving." He replied in a grin as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway. I watched from the window my house getting smaller and smaller, then it was. I felt very scared to be out in the open like this. What if one of the vampires were chasing us right now?

"Harper, get some sleep, it's going to be a long drive." Carlisle said aloud from the front seat. I nodded and yawned, suddenly tired and I laid down on the seat, feeling sleep come over me.....


	13. Kisses Like Candy

I dreamed _I was a vampire, beautiful and strong. My red hair was flowing behind me as I was running through the forest in the vampire speed I was familiar with. The forest moved so fast around me as I ran with grace and no trouble. I looked to my left and I saw my family, running with me. Then looking to my right I saw Oz, looking at me with his beautiful face, loving smile and haunting eyes. He took my hand in his as we ran, it almost felt like we were the main characters in a fairy tale. It looked like we were in our own little world, and no one was here to ruin it._

_We ran through the forest like a pack, dodging trees both standing and fallen, then we stopped at a clearing near a cliff that overlooked the ocean. I could see the ocean stretched in front of us, the sun sparkling in the sky and it's reflection in the water. I turned to look back at my family and Oz, but they were all gone. I was left alone at the cliffs. I looked back to the ocean but saw James, the blond vampire from the baseball fields. He was inches away from me and had a crocked smiled on his face._

_"So beautiful." he sneered at me, immediately grabbing my throat and chocking me then and there. My eyes went wide as I heard him said in a cold tone, "Just like your mother."_

I then woke up from my dream in a cold sweat, still laying on the back seats in Emmett's car. But we weren't moving, instead we were parking in a remote park of the forest. It was rather foggy outside and I could only see handful of trees. I got up slowly and rubbed my red hair, feeling it's wild curls run through my fingers. No one was in the car and I started to panic. _Did Oz and Carlisle get into trouble and leave me here? Did someone take them? Oh no, Oz...._

Then suddenly the car door opened and I felt arms wrap around me. I was about to scream when I heard my father's voice.

"Harper, it's only me. We're here." he said to me, calming me down. I nodded my head and got out of the car with Carlisle. It was instantly cold and I could see how the fog settled in. Carlisle and I walked over to the edge of the forest going North, seeing Oz amongst the first set of trees. I walked over to him in a fast pace and I saw him turning around, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me.

"How long was I alseep?" I mumbled into his chest. He chuckled and rubbed my back in a soothing tone.

"5 hours, you must of been real tired. You kept mumbling in your sleep." He replied to me as Carlisle looked around the area.

"It's safe, we must go now if we have a chance to fool them with her scent." Carlisle said aloud, looking at the both of us. Oz looked down at me and gave me a reassuring smile.

"We need to run now." He told me and I smiled at him, feeling his arms pull me up and he cradled me, his arm under my legs and behind my back. I placed my head against his chest and sighed, feeling scared but safe in this situation. Then we broke into a run.

It felt the same when Emmett saved me. Everything was moving so fast and all in a blur. Carlisle was beside us on my right as we dodged trees and branches. The fog flew by us as we ran through the forest. As we ran I replayed what all happened in my head. Three vampires were after Bella and Myself after playing a harmless game of baseball. Now I was running for my life with my father and my boyfriend protecting me. But I started to get worried about Alice, Jasper and Bella in Phoenix. What if one of the vampires went after them? What if they get to Edward? I didn't want to lose them at all, they were my family and I couldn't loose them at all.

Then we stopped and everything was still around me. It was still foggy and cool as Oz placed me back on the ground. I felt uneasy from the fast running, but Oz kept his arms around me in case I would fall. I looked around me and saw a cabin near us.

It was rather small, but big enough for at least one or two people. It had a small porch and a chimney made of stones, very old fashion. There was a clearing in front of the cabin and a small chair on the porch as we walked over with caution. Carlisle went first, then Oz and myself.

Carlisle opened the front door and walked in, I followed closely and looked around. On my left there was a medium sized sofa along the wall, with a upright piano opposite of the sofa against the wall. There was a bookshelf next to the fireplace in between the piano and sofa, along with a rug on the wooden floor. On my right were was a small kitchen table, a countertop and pantry. Down the hallway there was a small bathroom on the left and a bedroom on the right. One queen bed with a nightstand on both sides of the bed. The house was made for two people, nice and small.

"There's not scents around here that should be a threat. This looks suitable." Carlisle replied after looking through the entire cabin. But I wasn't listening to him, I was looking out the window and at the forest. I still had a feeling someone was out here, and now my father was going to leave to take care of business back at him. I felt a sorrowful feeling in my gut.

"Harper, I'm going to go and check on your mother, Rosalie, Emmett and Edward. I'll be back soon to check up on you, I promise." Carlisle said to me in a gentle tone, resting his hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head from my spot.

"I don't want you to worry about the family, you know we can take care of ourselves. I only want you to worry about staying safe." Carlisle reassured me and I looked at him from my spot, seeing his smile at me and I found my voice again for the first time since I've woken up.

"Just be careful, for my sake, please. I can't loose my parents again." I told him in a strong tone, but I wanted to cry. He pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"You won't loose us." he replied in his fatherly tone and gave me one last kiss on the forehead. I saw him walk out the door and onto the forest ground. He looked around and back at both me and Oz who was watching on the porch.

"Take care of her." He told him in a stern tone. Oz only nodded once and Carlisle took off running into the forest. Everything was not still, all we could hear were some birds high in the tress and the wind going through the forest. Now I felt alone, though I had Oz with me, I felt as if I was the only thing the world. I felt complete with my family, but now I felt like I was nothing at all. I saw Oz walking back into the cabin and smiling at me, only going back to a concerned tone as he saw my face.

"I've never been away from home before." I simply said to him and I wiped away some tears. I felt like a idiot for crying all the time and I got frustrated about it. He smiled at me and gave me a warm hug, though I felt his cold body and arms.

"I find that funny, because I've never been home before, or haven't been at a place that felt like home." He said aloud as his hold of me tightened, "That is, until I met you."

I smiled against his chest and felt a kiss on my forehead. No matter what situation I was in, I felt better when I was with him.

Being away from my family for some time didn't seem like a bad idea after all. Though it would be sad to be isolated with no idea what was going on, as long as I was with Oz, I felt safe.

~*Two Days Later*~

It's been two days since Carlisle left me with Oz in our own cabin. Though it felt like weeks since he last left, I tried to occupy myself with things to do. I read almost all of the books on the bookshelf, though most of them were of old fictional books and others were of handy work. Oz went out every once in awhile to check the perimeter in case someone was close by. But other than that, we kept to each other.

I taught him how to make spaghetti from the old stove they had and the left over ingredients in the pantry. Though at first he almost set the cabin on fire, he made it quite nicely after the first few tries. We would also go on walks throughout the area, carefully watched of course by Oz. Sometimes I wished for Oz to be more linient with me, since he was watching my every move waiting me to trip or something then he could come fully to the rescue. It made me angry sometimes, that he was watching me as if he was a watchdog instead of a friend. But I couldn't stay mad at him forever, I know he was trying to protect me and keep me safe.

I remember the third night when I was about to go to bed when I saw Oz looking out the bedroom window with a stern look on his face. I pushed back the covers and sat up in the bed, watching with his his eyes so tense and his stance straight.

"Oz, I would think of it being more dangerous to be near the window." I said aloud to him, seeing him look back at me, his gold eyes looking so scary to me than beautiful. I bit my lip as I studied his face and stance.

"I'm sorry." he said simply, walking over and sitting next to me on the bed. I only smiled at him and started rubbing his arm soothingly.

"It's okay, I know you're trying to protect me, but sometimes I wonder if you and Edward were ever brothers as humans." I joked with him and I saw him chuckle. He grasped my hand and stared me with concern.

"I'm more afraid of you with your nightmares. They seem to get worse, and last night I thought you were going to get sick." He told me and I looked down, feeling embarrassed. Last night was the worst I had to throw up in the toilet to get rid of the anxiety. But if that wasn't mad enough I thought Oz was going to crazy since he's never seen me sick before. He wanted to call Carlisle but I told him not to.

"It's nothing, I promise." I hate lying to him but I didn't want him to go to the ends of the earth to help me. He still didn't look convinced so I sighed.

"If it helps, you can stay with me and watch me sleep in case I do have another nightmare." I told him in a smile and he smiled back. I leaned back and got myself comfortable in the bed. I felt him slide down with me and wrap a arm around me near my waist and I felt his chest against my back. I smiled and let out a content sigh as he chuckled from behind me.

"You know, I've never felt this happy before, being with you like this." Oz whispered in my ear as I felt his hold around my waist tighten slightly. I turned in his arms and faced him, seeing him with his head on the pillow and watching my every move.

"What do you see in me that makes you so happy?" I asked him in a curious tone. It was true, I always wondered what he saw in me and why he liked me. He gave me a questioning look and then smiled. He then reached out and pushed some of my wild hair away.

"Your spirit is nothing that I have ever seen. You don't seem to be moved by the people around you, you just do what makes you happy. Your love for your family is something else, something I can't really explain." Oz explained aloud to me as he let his fingers trailed over my jaw. I felt another chill go down my spine, but it was a good chill.

I closed my eyes and was drinking in the situation. His fingers on my face, his arm around my waist and his voice going through my head. It felt like heaven, like I was meant to be this close to him. Though he was a vampire a and if he lost his control he would kill me since we were so close to each other. I heard him take in a deep breath and I opened my eyes. All I saw was his throat, because his lips were against my forehead. I felt like I couldn't breathe as he leaned his head down to have his lips barely on mine.

"I think I'm addicted to you." he barely whispered to me as I took in a deep breath, "Because when I'm not around you, I feel incomplete. It's like I could never breathe without breathing you in."

"Is it wrong to say I feel the same way?" I whispered back to him and I saw him crack a smile. Then I felt his lips touch mine. I could feel fireworks go off in my stomach and my skin started to tingle all over again. My heart swelled ten fold and my soul soar as we kissed. I ran my fingers through his hair and felt how soft his hair was and I heard him growl, pulling me closer than ever towards his body and giving me a deeper kiss. His hand held my neck gently as his other hand went to my lower back, skating across my skin and making me shake in his hold.

He then suddenly shot up with me in his arms, kissing my deeply as I was then in his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck and feeling his strong arms around my waist. We kept kissing, as if it was the last moment on earth we ever had. I didn't want to stop kissing him, it made my heart leap and my blood boil just looking at him, but kissing him was a whole different story.

But then he pulled away and I groaned, wanting to kiss him again. But I felt his hand on my neck move to my chest to keep distance from us.

"I can't.....if we keep kissing I know I'll loose control." He said out of breath. Even for a vampire he looked flushed as I took in a deep breath and nodded my head. He bit his lip as I ran my fingers threw his hair again, never getting old to do that gesture to him. I knew I pushed the limit with him as I looked down, blushing a furious red.

"I'm sorry." I replied aloud in a shaky tone. I heard him chuckle and felt his hold of me tighten as I looked up at him, seeing his golden eyes look right at me.

"Don't be. Harper, when we kissed, I felt more alive than ever." He said in a happy tone and I smiled at him, wanting to kiss him again. It was like a drug, once I had a taste of his lips and the feel of his fingers on my back, I wanted to have more. Sure it sounds bad on my part, but I couldn't help it.

"And I know for a fact, that I've never wanted anything more than to kiss you again..." he trailed off as he pressed his lips against mine. Again I felt the fireworks go off in my stomach and threw my veins down to my toes as I kissed him back. But then something else happened, I couldn't see Oz anymore, all I saw was blackness and then a flash of a memory soared threw my mind.

_It was of a couple, the same couple from my previous nightmares. They were corned at some sort of building and I could see some shadows in front of them, low growls and some snickering. The view turned and then there were vampires in front of my parents. But the one thing that caught me off guard was that one of the vampires, was in fact James. After I saw his face, I heard his voice in my head from the dream I had earlier that day._

_"Just like your mother...." _Then I passed out into blackness.


	14. The Truth

I woke up to the sound of Oz's voice, he was talking on the phone with someone else nearby. I was in the bed I was in before, but now it was dusk. I felt like my energy was taken from me and that I was hit my some kind of truck, it was even a task to raise my hand to my head to feel who warm I was. I felt like I was burning up and I wanted to see what happened. Oz was in the living room and the bedroom door was wide open, so I could see him pacing back and forth and running his fingers through his hair in a nervous rate. I bit my lip and ran my fingers through my wild hair, feeling bad suddenly and horrible for passing out while we kissed. Then I smiled, we kissed.

His kisses were like candy, but better. I could remember feeling fireworks going through my veins and bloodstream as he kissed me. His fingers on my lower back and in my hair, made me turn into jello at the simplest touch. When we kissed and held each other, it was the firs time I was ever truly happy in my life. I then realized that Oz made me happy, satisfied and overall feel loved.

"Oh she's awake! Yeah I'll have her call you as soon as she eats. Alright, goodbye Carlisle." He turned off the phone and walked over to the bedroom and then sat by my side on the bed in what seemed like seconds. He looked very worried and I saw his eyes were darker than usual.

"Thank god! I thought I killed you!" He said aloud in a concerned tone, running his fingers over my forehead and feeling how hot my skin was. But his ice cold fingers were cooling me down and making me smile. He smiled from seeing me and gave a short kiss on my lips.

"Harper, I saw what was in your memory. I saw James..." he trailed off and I panicked, THe flashback came back to haunt me, seeing James in my memory and other vampires in front of my parents. Oh no, it was James. James killed my parents! I pulled away from him and wrapped my arms around my legs that were against my chest. Things went sour for me an instant, knowing I met the killer of my parents, and he might be after me! I was scared, hell I was petrified. What if he was close by, and what if he was watching us at this moment? But the real shocker for me was that a vampire killed my parents, vampires did this to me.

"Hey." Oz simply said as he held out his arms for me. I crawled into his lap and felt his arms go around me, holding me close as I buried my head into his neck and breathing him in. He smelled of pine and rain as his arms protected me from everything else in the world.

"They told me my parents died in a accident, how could they lie?" I croaked out aloud as Oz rested his chin on the top of my head.

"Protection probably. If they told you about James, you wouldn't of wanted to be with them because they are vampires as well as James." Oz explained as I looked up at him. It was true, back when I was twelve, I wouldn't want to be with them. Being naive at the time, I would of believed that vampires were all killers.

"You're probably right. But do you think they only adopted me to keep me away from James?" I asked him. But I saw him give me a shocked tone.

"How could you think like that? They adopted you because they love you." he reminded me as I felt numbness take over. I still had the thought of them only adopting me to protect me from them. I felt his fingers run over my back and arm to soothe me.

"Carlisle and Esme really love you, I know they do. Carlisle's been calling me every night when you're asleep to check on you, and I know Esme's worried sick about you not being around her. They treat as a parent should treat a child, with love and protection and guidance. I envy that kind of love." He explained as he pulled away from me and sat in front of me with his legs indian crossed.

"You don't remember the kind of love your mother and father had for you?" I asked him in curiosity. He shook his head.

"I remember bits and pieces, like my mother telling me she loved me and my father hugging me, but nothing of the sort of your family. I wish I had that kind of love when I was with my old coven, but I didn't." Oz explained as I saw his facial features. He looked sad about the subject, and I felt like I wanted to be the one holding him and telling him I loved him.

"Join our family." The words slipped out of my mouth like butter and he looked at me with a confused look. Foe him to join our family would be wonderful, well for me at least.

"Think about it. You've been on your own for about a year now and since you've been with me, my family's grown to like you. I know Carlisle would love to have you in our coven and family, and it would make me happy to see you experience having a family for once." I explained to him as I took one of his cold hands in mine and squeezed it gently. He looked down for a second at our joined hands and then back at me. His eyes were so dark and purple shades were under them. I reach out with my open hand and touched his cheek near his eye.

"Oz, when did you hunt last?" I asked him softly.

"Four days ago." he muttered and looked away from me. I could tell he was going to avoid going hunting while I was here. As stubborn as he was, he was also protective of me and not wanting to let me out of his sight for anything.

"You need to go hunting." I started but he shook his head and squeezed our joined hands tighter.

"No, I'm not going to leave you here all by yourself." He protested and I kept my stare on him, about to burst.

"I'm not going anywhere, Oz. I'm going to stay inside the whole time." I reassured him as he still didn't look convinced.

"And how are you going to kiss me when you're hungry?" I teased. He chuckled and I smiled, loving to hear him laugh and his nodded his head.

"Fine, I'll go but not for long." He replied as he gave me a nice kiss on my lips, leaving me craved for more. But he pulled away and got up from my bed.

"Make sure you call your father, he's expecting you to call as soon as you feel okay to do so." He told me as he ruffled his hair and got his favorite leather jacket from the hall closet. I almost melted as I saw him in his leather jacket, baggy blue jeans and white v neck shirt. I nodded my head from his instructions on calling my father as I got up and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"And why may I asked are you dressed so seductively? Are you going to lower the animals in by your dashing good looks?" I asked him in a grin as his arms went around my waist.

"Never thought about it in that way, but I think I could." He replied as he placed a lingering kiss on the corner of my mouth, making me shiver and run a hand through his soft brown hair. He rested his forehead against mine and smiled.

"Come back soon." I whispered to him, feeling mushy all over again.

"I will, I promise." Oz replied, kissing me one last time before pulling away and walking out of the front door in a brisk motion. I ran over to the window next to the front door, seeing him standing in the clearing in front of the forest and out home, closing his eyes and letting his instincts take over. After a second or two, I saw his eyes shot open and he ran off into the forest. It never ceases to amaze me when I see him run, it looked graceful and elegant. I smiled and walked over to the piano, sitting on the wooden bench and placing my fingers on the keys. I started to play Moonlight Sonata, one of the first songs Edward taught me to play. I missed seeing him, hell I missed seeing all of my family and I started to wonder where they were and if they were alright. I knew they were vampires, and strong, but the thought of loosing them still lingered in the back of my mind.

Then I thought about Oz as I played the haunting song. Though we met months ago, It felt like we've known each other for years. We knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, flaws and perks, what made me happy and what made us ticked off. At first I was worried if we were moving too fast, but then I realized how much he made me feel happy. Although I was young, I wanted to be with Oz for the rest of my life. Stupid as it sounded, I knew what I wanted to do with my future.

"You know I have never heard that song played so beautifully before." I looked to my left and saw Carlisle by the front door! He looked out of breath but I was too excited to bee my father here! I ran over to him and threw my arms around him, feeling him hug me back and I smiled.

"Thank god, you scared me! I missed you!" I said to him in a excited tone as we pulled away from each other, "How's Bella and Edward? Did you stop James and the others?"

"Slow down Harper, it's all right. James trapped Bella in Arizona at a ballet studio and bit her, but your brother sucked out the venom. Alice, Jasper and Emmett destroyed James and burned his pieces, so he's long gone." he explained to me calmly.

"What about the other two?" I asked him, suddenly feeling scared.

"Laurent means us no harm at all, but we're worried about Victoria. Esmes and Roalise kept an eye on her back at home in Forks, but they lost her. But don't worry about her dear, you're safe with us. Now where's Oz?" He asked, looking around.

"He went hunting a minute before you came here. I was going to call you." I told him as he looked back at me. He placed his hand on my forehead and sporting his medical doctor look.

"You're temperature feels okay right now, but when I talked to Oz he said you were burning up quite a bit. What happened?" he asked me with concern. I took in a deep breath, trying to find the right words to say to my father.

"Well, Oz and I were...umm....kissing." I said slowly, looking at him to see if he was going to get mad. But his look stayed the same as I continued.

"I got a flashback as we kissed, and I saw something that made me pass out. Dad, I saw James. He killed my parents." I replied aloud in a shaky tone, feeling anxiety take over as I thought of the flashback again. Carlisle's face went from calm to concern and scared. It was still sore for me, knowing a vampire killed my parents and that he was after me.

"Oh Harper, I knew you would find out sometime soon after you met Oz with his ability. I do hope you don't hate myself or your mother for not telling you." He replied in a soft tone, hoping I wasn't mad at him. I could tell from the sad look in his eyes he was sorry for not telling me and sad for me finding out the hard way. I shook my head.

"No, of course not. At first I was shocked and mad, but Oz made me realize you and mom were protecting me. How could I be mad at my parents who were trying to protect me?" I replied aloud, feeling good about talking to Carlisle about the subject. His smile was nice and big as he gave me a big hug.

"I'm glad you feel that way. Your mother and I love you very much and we want to keep you safe and make you happy." He reassure me as he pulled away.

"Well, there's one way you can make me happier than ever." I told him as he gave me a questionable look.

"Have Oz join our family." He was a bit taken back from my request. He placed his gingers on his chin, a typical move for him to do as a doctor to think about a logical situation.

"Dad, he's never experience what it's like to have a family, like a real family. He was with a military coven for sixty year and he hardly remembers his human life. SInce he's been with us for the past couple of months, I could tell he loves being around us and learning from us." I explained to him, feeling like I was holding Oz's fate in my hands.

"It seems logical to have him join our family. But I am worried about how he will adjust to our customs and lifestyle." Carlisle replied aloud to me. That got me worried then as well. Maybe he won't adjust to how we would move every four or five years, and how we interact with other humans other than me on a daily basis.

"Let us wait to discuss this matter until the whole family has a say in this matter. I for one would love to have him in our coven, but we must respect the wishes of the rest of the family." He told me and I smiled, nodding my head and smiling back. For the first time in days, things were looking rather good!


	15. Flashback

Carlisle drove Oz and myself home right after Oz came home from his hunting trip. It was nighttime and the moon was high above us over the forest trees and mountains. I couldn't wait to see my family again, all together and happy to see me as well. I also wanted to see if Bella was okay, hearing she got hurt pretty badly and almost killed thanks to James.

On the drive home I got pretty sleep so Oz held me in his arms as I slept. I felt so comfortable in his arms and safe, never wanting to be anywhere else but with Oz holding me. The thought of Oz maybe becoming a member of my family's coven thrilled me to the bone and I wanted it so badly to be a reality. But I had to wait for my family's approval before having Oz be a new member.

I was suddenly shaken by Oz, who woke me up my kissing my forehead and rubbing my back with his knuckles. I woke up slowly and saw we were in our garage. Carlisle was already out of the car and going to the trunk to retrieve my bag as Oz carried me out of the car, placing me on my feet. At fist I almost fell being too tired, but with Oz behind me I got my balance back. We walked to the door that lead to the house and went inside. I instantly felt satisfied being home, and I could smell Spaghetti coming from the kitchen. Oh how I missed Spaghetti made by Esme, it made my stomach gurgle. Oz laughed and lead me to the kitchen, where I smiled so big.

There was my whole family, all standing in the kitchen and smiling at me. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie, Jasper and Alice were holding hands and Esme was placing a big plate of spaghetti on the island in front of her. Edward was next to her with his hands in his pockets, looking rather worn out but in a good way.

Esme was the first person to hug me as I walked over to my family, I felt officially home after hugging Esme.

"I was so worried, but thank goodness you're okay." Esme replied as I pulled away and smiled at her.

"I'm so glad to be home. I was worried something happened to anyone of you guys since I was gone." I explained as Alice walked over to hugged me from my right side.

"Did I not tell you not to worry? But no! You had to be stubborn, gah you're just as bad as Edward when it comes to safety of others!" she replied in her bell tone of a voice. I giggled and shrugged. Jasper then gave me a warm hug.

"You were on our minds constantly. I would do anything to protect you, we all would." Jasper reminded me as he pulled away.

"I know that." I replied as I saw Emmett walked over and holding out his arms for me.

"Come here Squirt!" he replied in a boom of a voice. I walked over and hugged him tightly, missing the big mass of Emmett. He picked me up slightly, hugging me close and I smiled as he placed me back on the ground. As he pulled away I felt Rosalie hug me form behind and I smiled.

"Glad you're back." She replied to me in one of her rare genuine smiles. I smiled back at her. Lastly was Edward, who gave one of his famous glazed over looks as I walked over to him. I smiled at him and for a good second neither of us moved from our spots. He then hugged me tightly as I felt the sudden wind knocked out of me.

"I'm so glad you're safe. I wanted to keep James away from you." He whispered to me as I hugged him back, feeling overwhelmed to see Edward again.

"I'm gad you're alive." I whispered back to him as we pulled away from each other, "How's Bella?"

"She's fine. She just arrived at home today and she'll be resting for quite some time." Edward replied, smiling on the subject of Bella.

"Now that we have that our of the way, we need to have a family discussion." Carlisle replied aloud from his spot next to Oz. We all looked over at him as I saw him place a hand on Oz's shoulder.

"Oz has been at our home for quite some time, and he has shown nothing but kindness to all of us. I know he cares for Harper deeply, and that he would protect her at all costs. I feel Oz should have the opportunity to experience what a coven, such as ours, functions." He explained, giving me a brief look and then back to the rest of the family. I then saw Esme walk over to Carlise and wrap her arm around his waist as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He then faced Oz with a serious look on his face.

"I know you've been wanting to be a part of a family for quite some time, and that the last coven you were with did not treat you with the gratitude we showed you. I have been hoping that you would want to join our family." he ended, seeing Ox's face look at him with what looked like shock and fear mixed with excitement and confusion.

"You want me to join your family?" He asked in a shocked tone. I could see everyone else in the room were just as shocked, even Edward's jaw dropped.

"Yes, I feel you'll be a good member to our family. You have a amazing and unique ability that could help us, and we know your love for Harper is pure and just. So I leave it to you Oz, would you join our family?" Carlisle asked him as I walked over to stand next to him. I took his hand in mine and looked at the rest of my family, who were all staring at him to see what he would say. He was still a bit shocked and I squeezed his hand.

"I...don't know what to say...I mean does that whole family want me?" He asked aloud to Carlisle in shaky tone.

"Why don't we place this as a vote." Carlisle replied, looking onto Esme first. She smiled widely at Oz.

"Of course. I'll be having another son." She replied and Oz smiled back at her. Next was Jasper, who's stiff stance next to Alice loosened up a bit.

"Yes." he replied and I smiled, seeing him smile at me.

"Of course I want him in our family! He'll be my new model." Alice squealed in delight and Jasper laughed next to her. I cringed to think Oz being a Ken Doll for her to play with, but she still wanted him to be a part of our family.

"As much as I don't share Alice's enthusiasm, I say yes." Edward said aloud in a small smile as he crossed his arms in front of his arms. That made me smile even bigger. Normally Edward wasn't a big pushover when it came to meeting or being around other vampires, so this was a big step for him and I was proud.

"I want him in too! Gives me a good excuse to work on my fighting skills." Emmett replied in a grin, giving me a devilish smile. I gave him a glare.

"No you won't! Oz is not going to be a test dummy or a punching bag." I warned as I heard Oz chuckle next to me. The last person was Rosalie and I suddenly got scared. She was never keen to have new people around her, and a new vampire in the family is definitely pushing it with her. I was afraid she would reject him.

"I don't see why not." I was shocked, and so was everyone else. Emmett laughed out loud and hugged his wife as Oz hugged me tightly.

"As long as he doesn't pull any funny business on Harper." She warned in a cold tone as Oz pulled away and looked at her.

"I promise I won't, Rosalie." Oz reassured her as he pulled away from me. Carlise placed his hand on Oz's shoulder again with a grin.

"Then it's settled: Oz is now a member of this family. Now on Monday I'll go and get some papers for you and we're getting you registered as our new son, so the rest of the humans will think we just adopted you." Carlisle explained.

"Which we just did, of course." Esme replied in delight, "I'll have a room set up for you if you'd like, and I'll have Alice and Rosalie go along with me to get you some clothes, shoes and whatever else you need."

"Thank you very much Esme." Oz thanked aloud as he smiled. The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. The rest of the family members went off hunting as I ate from Spaghetti and talked with Esme. Oz talked to Carlisle in the living room. I could tell Carlisle was telling Oz on how they lived and what was going to be needed from him.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Esme asked me from out of the blue, looking at me with her genuine smile. I smiled back and nodded my head, thinking about it and knowing how much I changed since he was with me.

"I think I love him mom." I replied aloud in a shaky tone, finding myself very shocked from what I just said. EVerytime I see him my heart leaps, every time I hear his voice I smile so brightly, when his skin is against mine I shiver and feel comfort in his every touch, and when we kiss I feel fireworks go off in my stomach.

"Well, love is a powerful thing for someone to have. I know Oz cares for you, and you care for him." Esme only said aloud as she watched me in a motherly way.

"So you don't think it's, not normal?" I asked in a shocked tone.

"Heavens no! You two seem so in sync with each other." Esme replied in a smile as she tucked a strand of my red hair behind my ear. I smiled and looked down at my bowl and saw that I ate it all. Esme chuckled and went to grab my bowl.

"I'll make some more for you, I guess food has been a problem for you since you were gone." She joked as she got up and walked over to the sink to placed the bowl in. She was about to turn on the sink when the doorbell rang. She looked up and over to the archway that lead to the front door with a worried look on her face. The back door swung open with force and Alice ran in, with the rest of my siblings behind her. She looked horrified and scared at the same time.

"There's five of them, though they look harmless to me." She said aloud in a fast rate. Esme walked over to her as I got up from my spot.

"Five of whom, Alice?" Esme asked aloud. I looked form my family to the archway and walked over to a brisk pace. I turned to my left and saw Oz standing in a fighting stance towards the door. Carlisle had a hand on his shoulder, trying to hold him back as I approached him.

"Dad, what's going on?" I asked him with concern. Something doesn't seem right to me, everyone was scared about something. Maybe it was Victoria or Laurent coming for me again and the rest of my family. I wasn't sure and it scared me.

"Oz caught a scent and he got defensive." Carlisle replied to me with a concerned look in his eyes. I walked over to Oz and placed my hand on his arm, feeling how tense he was. He looked over at me and I saw some anger in his eyes. The doorbell rang again, but this time he threw me behind him and held my hand in his, blocking me from the door. The rest of my family walked through the archway in a fast pace, all looking towards the door.

"Everyone stay calm, we'll handle whoever it is." Carlisle told us as he walked over to the front door, placing his hand on the handle and turning it. The door opened and I was shocked to see what I saw.

There were five figures in front of Carlisle, two were female and three were male. One of the males stood in front of everyone else, sporting brown hair waved to the side and bright topaz eyes, having a stern look on his face with a strong jawline. The female on his left side had black thick hair in waves down past her shoulders with a elegant face and once again bright topaz eyes. The male behind the first male was taller then him, with big broad shoulder and bright blond spiked hair, as bright as Carlisle's, with a muscle like face and another pair of topaz eyes. The female on the left had brown hair above her shoulders that was a bit curly with and a elf-like face. The last male was smaller than the other two males, with short spiky black hair and a young look on his face. All were sporting topaz eyes and all there pale on their skin, so pale. All five were beautiful, too beautiful to be humans. Their topaz eyes stared back at us and I felt Oz's hold on me tightened.

"Hello." The male in front of the rest of the figures spoke, his deep elegant voice rang through the house softly.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Carlisle asked aloud as the male cocked his eyebrow.

"I am Mason Vivaldi, and I am here for Oz." He replied in his elegant tone. I felt stiff in my spot and my throat tightened.

This was Mason? This was Oz's old clan. Great, this is not good.


	16. Author's Note

I need your help!! I want to make Harper's life very interesting but I want to know what you think:

Should I give Harper a child?

DUN DUN DUUUNNN!!!

Let me know asap!!!

Thanks guys, and thanks again for giving me the best support! You guys rock!


	17. The Vivaldi Caln

"Please come in." Carlisle said aloud, being a nice a humanly possible though I could tell in his eyes he got protective over Oz. The five strangers gracefully walked into the house, all gliding and stopping in front of my family. Mason, who seemed to be the leader, stood in front of his coven whereas Carlisle did the same for us.

"Please excuse us for coming in and surprising you, we apologize." Mason started in his deep tone. I looked from him to my family. Edward's look was stern and of fury, he must of been reading their minds. Jasper held a stiff stance next to Alice, who's hand was on his arm to make sure he wasn't going to pull anything. At least she looked calm about the situation. Emmett looked determined to figure out who they were, whereas Rosalie had her infamous cold stare of death. I was more concerned about Oz, who's face read of fury and hatred. I felt his fingers intertwined in mine, holding me close as he stood straight and my other hand went to his arm, holding him to make sure he was real and that he wasn't going anyway anytime soon

"It's no problem I assure you. You just took some of my family by surprise." Carlisle replied, while I looked over at Alice, who was still calm.

"Well, this is my family. My wife Rose, my two sons Jakub and Steven, and my daughter Sarah." Mason introduced his family. Jakub, the blond muscular boy, kept his cold stare, whereas Steven with his timid stance, kept his eyes at a downcast.

"Welcome to our home. This is my wife Esme." Carlisle started off, holding out his hand to his left where Esme took gracefully and walked over to stand next to him, "and my sons Emmett, Jasper and Edward, and also my daughters Rosalie, Alice and Harper." Every one of us, when our names were called, gave a friendly nod and smile. I could tell inside we were all either scared, worried, or furious that were in our home, but we held it in us. Hopefully none of the Vivaldi's could read our emotions or minds. WHen my name was called last, Jaukb's eyes sung into mine from his spot behind Mason and Rose. His stern look in his lips went to a crooked smile at me and I could feel Oz tensing up next to me.

"A human as a daughter in a house of vampires? That's a bit far fetched isn't it?" he replied in a sneer of a voice, which sounded very tough like. Mason turned his head slightly as Jakub's direction with a cold look on his face.

"Jakub, enough." He scolded and turned back to us, smiling again, though his smile scared me by just looking at him.

"Apologizes for my son's rude behavior." He replied to Carlisle. Carlisle gave a slight smiled.

"What can I do for you Mason?" He asked in a polite tone.

"As I said before, I am here for Oz." Mason said in reply, looking from Carlisle to Oz with a cold stare. I wanted to push Oz behind me, protect him from Mason. He just got accepted into my family, and I'll be damned if they take him from me.

"What business do you have with him, if I may ask?" Carlisle asked aloud to him. Mason gave him a questioning look.

"It is a custom for our coven for a vampire to stay with his or her clan for all eternity. He was created in my coven, and he should stay with us." Mason explained to Carlisle, still sounding cold and mysterious.

"Though memory serves, Mason, you kicked me out and banished me from your family." Oz replied in a cold bark, receiving a look of outrage from all of the Vivaldi Clan.

"Now that was just a small argument--" Mason started, but was cut off by Oz who was now looking furious.

"Small argument?! I think it was more of a bloodbath between me and Jakub, who was about to kill a innocent child and his mother!" Oz spat out and I saw Edward take a hesitant step forward towards us, to make sure he wasn't going to snap.

"Well we are willing to look over that situation, it's been some years now Oz and yet you still talk as if it was yesterday." Mason started in his calm tone.

"It's still fresh in my mind, and it will always be." Oz muttered out.

"No need to act weak upon our failure to coexist in peace." Jakub said in a sneer. Oz glared at him with his fierce topaz eyes. I squeezed my hold on his arm, attempting to calm him down.

"And this human girl, she has you on a collar I take it?" Jakub challenged one more time, giving me a look that reminded me of James when he first looked at me on the baseball field, a scary look of wanting me.

"You keep Harper out of this!" Oz growled at him, his eye narrowing in anger, "This family has been treating me with the respect that none of you has ever shown me. Other than Sarah, I never felt appreciated from any of you."

"So you are willing to choose this family that you hardly know over the family at created you?" Mason asked in a shocked tone.

"I think I know more about them then I do any of you, other than Sarah." Oz replied in a cold tone. I looked over at Sarah, who was smiling a genuine smile when her name was mentioned.

"Enough of this. I shall talk to you alone in my office." Carlisle butted in and looked to Mason. Mason nodded his head and followed Carlisle out of the room and up the stairs. As soon as they left, Rose and Jakub went off in their own corner and talked amongst themselves whereas Sarah and Steven stayed behind. Oz walked over carefully with me next to him and we approached the two.

"Hello Steven, Sarah." Oz replied aloud in a more calmer and cool tone, receiving a bright smile from Sarah and a nod from Steven, who was still looking at the ground.

"I would like you to meet Harper, my girlfriend." He introduced me and I smiled briefly. Sarah smiled at me and Steven nodded yet again.

"Can I say Oz, it's been nothing but trouble in our clan since you were banished!" Sarah finally spoke up for the first time. She had a gentle tone, which figured why Oz liked her other than the others.

"How so?" Oz asked in interest.

"Well, Mason and Rose have seen rather snooty, making us move constantly and it's been nothing but orders." Sarah explained as she moved her hair from her golden eyes.

"We're thinking of leaving the clan." Steven mumbled, his voice was soft and timid as he finally looked up at us. He had wide eyes with his olive skin, having a look of fear.

"Why?" Oz asked in concern.

"We figured that it would be better for us two can go on our own at our own pace, other than the fast pace the other three want. And I am sick of Jakub and his temper, it was bad when you were with us and now it's ten times worse." Sarah explained in a sadder tone as she looked over at Steven and placed a hand on his shoulder, "He's been on Steven a lot lately. Somehow he still doesn't get the fact Steven goes at a slower pace when it comes to hunting."

"Nothing wrong with that." Steve mumbled.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that either." I said aloud, seeing him look at me with a shocked look. Oz smiled next to me.

"Thank you, you are very kind." He replied to me in his timid voice.

"That's Harper for you, a kind soul that I love dearly." Oz said in a smile, kissing my forehead and smiling. I saw Sarah smile from his gesture and place a hand on her chest where her heart would be.

"It makes me happy to see Oz happy with someone." Sarah told me in a genuine smile and I couldn't help but to smile back. At first I was scared of them and what they were going to do, but Steven and Sarah seem so genuine and nice to me. If only the other three were like that. We then hear Carlisle and Mason coming down the stairs and we all looked up to see them. Mason's look was smug whereas Carlise's was confusion and observation. I was more scared of the look on my father's face then Mason's look. As they reached the bottom of the staircase, Mason looked to his family as Carlisle walked over to Esme again.

"We shall leave in peace. It seems our pressence it no longer needed here." Mason replied aloud as he looked to his family as did I. Steven and Sarah gave small smiles quickly but hid them from Mason, replacing smiles with stern glares. Jakub looked like he was fuming, his nostrils flaring and his hands turned into fists. Rose kept her eyes on her husband and gave one nod, walking over to him as her children followed behind her. I felt Oz's hand in mine relaxing quite a bit as he watched his formal coven walk out of the door slowly and gracefully.

"What did you discuss Carlisle?" Edward asked aloud as we all walked over to the front door and watched the Vivaldi's walk on the clearing in front of our home.

"He wanted to discuss Oz and his place in his coven, but we both agreed Oz being in our family is for the best." Carlisle explained as I looked up at Oz, seeing him looking at his old family. But when they reached about 150 feet away from us, up against the forest borderline, Jakub looked back at us, mostly at me. I could see his golden eyes were narrowing at me and he started to smile a evil smile. That smile scared me and gave me chills, almost like looking at James.

"Too bad I won't be having a delicious meal of redhead tonight." he sneered loud enough for us to hear and I saw Mason and the rest of the coven stop to look at him with horror. I froze in my spot and felt my throat go numb.

Suddenly I heard a loud growl coming from Oz and I couldn't feel his presence anymore. He was running at full vampire speed towards Jakub. It was all in slow motion, Oz running to him in fury and Jakub running to him with his evil smirk on his face, showing his pearly white teeth. Mason and his clan were running after him, but were no match to his speed, whereas my family took a few gliding steps forward. I was held back my Esme as I saw Oz and Jakub running to each other in fury. I could see then colliding in midair, hitting each other like boulders and it all sounded like thunder. Everything was slowing down, going as if frame by frame. I wanted to reach out to Oz and hold him back, but I knew I was too weak to hold him back and to protect him. But I couldn't loose him, not now.

I held my breath and closed my eyes, wishing this nightmare was over.


	18. All I see Is Blue

They collided in the air, fighting with such fierce and horror I had to try and not look away. I had to watch, just to see what Jakub would do to Oz, my Oz. Esme held me close as the rest of the vampires circled around the two, looking at either horror or awe. I wanted them to stop, seeing Oz punch Jakub in the face and in return getting a blow in the stomach. It almost felt as if I could feel every blow and scratch and yank that Jakub laid on Oz.

"Oz, Jakub, stop this instant!" I heard Mason yell aloud as thy kept fighting growling and pouncing on each other.

"Oz!" Carlisle said aloud in shock as the fighting continued. I wanted it to stop, for it to be over. It killed me to see Oz this way, all in fury and hate and rage. It wasn't the same vampire, the same boy I fell in love with. The boy I knew so well was gentle, gentleman like, sweet to me, protecting, and loving. But this, I didn't like this at all.

They kept fighting, it was getting uglier by the minute. I felt like there was going to be flying limbs anytime now, and no one was helping them! I felt anger going through my veins, seeing them fight and tear each other apart. I could feel myself shaking and getting angrier by the minute, then I screamed out so loud I felt the earth shaking beneath me when I yelled at the top of my lungs:

"STOP!!" I shrieked out aloud. First, Esme looked at me in shock, then there was my family who looked at me in horror. Then there was the Vivaldi family, who looked at me with amazement and shock. Lastly there was Oz and Jakub, who stopped fighting each other. Oz looked over at me at first with rage still going through his veins, but he saw me in anger and his rage melted away. He then had the look of pain and sadness as his eyes looked at mine. I could fell my anger draining me.

"Jakub, we're leaving now!" Mason roared, walking up and yanking Jakub back, blocking him from Oz and pushing him back to his family. Jakub was still fuming, fighting Mason as he was pushed back, but he was no match for Mason and his old strength.

"I'll will end this fight with your had off and on a scewer!" Jakub yelled in a rage as he joined his family, who was also trying to hold him back. The rest of the Vivaldi family disappeared into the forest, leaving our family and Oz alone in the clearing.

"I'd rather doubt that buddy boy." Emmett muttered in a joking tone as Carlisle walked over to Oz and placed both hands on his shoulders, making him look directly at him and no one else.

"I need you to calm down." he said softly to him. Oz took in a jagged deep breath.

"I am calm." he replied, out of breath and still shaking.

"No you're not. You are still fueled with anger and rage. I don't want you to be angry anymore, and it's too dangerous for you to be angry and around us, around Harper." Carlisle explained as he gave him a cold stare. Oz briefly look at me, as I was trying not to cry. Esme was stroking my hair as I fell to my knees, Esme coming with me to the ground. I was so angry at myself, but so scared for almost loosing Oz in a brief moment. For a close second of my life, I felt like not living at all.

"Come, we'll go on a walk and let your anger decrease, some fresh forest air should do the trick." Carlisle said aloud as he placed eyed Oz, who nodded his head without saying a word.

"Harper, let's put you to bed." Esme whispered in my ear. At first I refused, not wanting to go to bed, I wanted to stay awake in case this was all a surreal dream. If I were to close my eye he would be gone in a heartbeat. But I felt sleep take over me, because all of the crying I did. I swear sometimes I was a huge drama queen, and I get that from Rosalie. I have to remind myself alter on to thank her for that.

I reluctantly got up slowly with Esme still having her arms around me and holding me close to her cool body. She lead me back to the house and up the stairs, not hearing a word from me. I was too much in thought of what just happened at my own home, a vampire fight broke out and I almost lost something so close and dear to my heart.

I felt Esme placing me on the bed, pulling a blanket over me and closing up everything to make my room black, but I didn't respond to it. I could feel the pillow under my head, the sheets under my fingertips and body and the fan lightly blowing through my hair, but again I didn't respond. I felt like a zombie, on the verge of dying and not showing my emotion or realization. I just wanted to curl in a ball and surrender already.

I wanted to die and be a vampire.

For the first time in a long time, I slept without any nightmares. I must of been real tired, because once Esme left me alone in the room, I was dead asleep. The energy I had left went away in a heartbeat as I felt my eyes closing. But I remember waking up and looking out my window for some minutes, being only in silence. There was a crack of light form my drapes over my window, so I could see a long stick of light shining through my dark room, shining a bit on my face and in my hair. It looked to be dark out, though I knew it was the moon shining through the gap between the drapes. I turned to my nightstand and saw it was nearly midnight, good god I must of been out like a light, sleeping through the day. I turned back to my regular position in my bed and sighed, feeling better than before.

Then I felt a pair of arms go around me gently and pulled me back against a cold chest. I instantly knew who they belonged to and I smiled gently, hearing him breathe me in and I felt his nose against his cool neck. He started to stroke my hair as I heard a sigh coming from him.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." he whispered in my ear and I turned slightly to see him. He looked tired and drained, his golden eyes weren't so golden anymore as they stared at me. THere was dirt on his face and his hair was rather messy than before. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his cool neck and ran some fingers through his wild hair.

"How was the walk?" I asked back in a whisper. He shrugged slightly.

"It was alright, Carlisle wanted me to calm down and let out some of the anger I still had over Jakub." Oz explained, and I could tell it was still making him angry thinking of his former coven brother.

"I wanted to make sure if you were okay. I didn't mean to scare you, or make you angry." Oz apologized one more time, but just tightened my hold on him and smiled.

"I was only worried about you. I don't wanna loose you." I told him truthfully. It was the truth, I didn't want to loose something to close and precious to my heart. He shook his head slightly.

"No, I was more afraid of loosing you, Harper. Jakub, though he is a vegetarian like the rest of us and his family, relapses on a constant routine, human blood is far too much for him to handle. When he eyed you I knew he was going to get you in any way, even if it meant to kill me first." Oz said in a serious tone and I shuddered, remembering how the event went down.

"But I wasn't going to let him come anywhere near you." He promised me and I smiled from hearing him say that. He leaned his forehead against mine and gave me a sweet kiss. THis was the first kiss that I felt like melting instead of the explosions I felt from previous kisses. This one was gentle, soft and loving, others were of passion and lust.

When he pulled away I felt more at peace than ever. I close my eyes for a brief moment and then opening them again. I then heard three words that made my heart stop and my body freeze.

"I love you." He whispered so silently to me and I smiled, giving him one last kiss and leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"I love you too."

It was finally my 18th birthday! One week before prom and Alice started off my day by bouncing up and down on my bed with a high pitch squeal. I tried to bury my head back into my pillow, but her bells of a voice overthrew me from being sleepy anymore.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" She sang aloud in a squeal as I sat up from my bed.

"Alright, ALRIGHT! Damn Alice, you're worse than Emmett." I mumbled as I fixed my hair and Alice hopped off my bed. She squealed as I got up from my bed and was about to make it when she yanked me away.

"Oh that can wait, We have something for you downstairs." She replied in a grin as she pulled me out of my room and to the staircase. I was about to ask what she had in mind when I saw it. All of the living room was covered in various colors of blue streamers. Alice must of done it, and it looked so beautiful I didn't want to touch a single thing! Blue was my favorite color, and there were blue balloons tied to the chairs and couch, a piles of presents on the coffee table that were in, you guessed it, blue wrapping paper. There was soft classical music playing in the back round on the stereo and all over in vases were gorgeous lilies, my favorite flower. I smiled we entered the living room. My whole family was there with big grins on their faces, minus Oz. He was no where to be seen, and I wondered where he was. He must of went on a hunting trip this morning. I instantly went to Carlisle and gave him a huge hug.

"Happy birthday honey." He whispered in my ear and I smiled, pulling away.

"You guys did this for me?! And I look gross." I muttered, looking at myself in my pj's and I heard them all laugh softly.

"Hey, you deserve it kiddo!" Emmett replied, giving me a big bear hug and I squealed as he whirled me around.

"Careful Emmett, I don't want to break my china." Esme warned him as she placed me back down on the ground. I then opened my presents in front of everyone, sitting on the comfy couch. Carlisle got me a new paint set that I've been waiting to get for some time but couldn't afford it, Esme gave me a large jewelry box set, Rosalie got me a leather bound journal with my name on the front, Jasper bought me a special edition of Alice and Wonderland, thinking my old copy was about to fall apart since I had since I was a baby, Alice got me lots and lots of clothes! I knew I had to go through my closet and get rid of some clothes, but Alice did it right and I smiled. Emmett bought me a new camera, and Edward got me a bracelet with musical notes all around it.

"Thank you so much you guys!" I thanked as Edward helped me out the bracelet on my wrist. He then took out another envelope from his jacket pocket.

"It's from Bella. She wanted to come, but Charlie wouldn't let her leave the house." Edward replied as I read the card. She wrote me a nice note, saying I was a great human friend for her to be around. I giggled from the message.

"I need to thank her when I see her again." I replied aloud.

"And for the great finale, which is waiting for you right outside." Carlisle said aloud as he took my hand and lead me out of the living room and out to the front door.

"Now, close your eyes." He told me and I sighed, closing my eyes and smiling. I heard Alice squeal and Jasper hush at her as someone opened the front door and lead me to the steps, making sure I wouldn't fall. I held my breath, if they got me a overprotective car I would freak out.

"Open." I shot my eyes open, trying to get used to the fogy day. BUt right in front of me was a midnight blue BMW 6 series Coupe. It looked so beautiful and shiny to me, all topped off with a blue bow on top. But right next to it was a Vespa GTV 250 that was a very pretty blue, with a nice white helmet sitting on the leather seat. I was freaking out! I thought I was getting a decent car, but a car AND a Vespa?! This was so surreal! I squealed as I turned around to hug both of my parents.

"Thank you thank you thank you! You don't know how much this means to me!" I said to both of them out of breath.

"Now before you start freaking out on us, we didn't get you the Vespa." Carlisle said aloud. Now I was confused, I cocked my head to the side with a confusing look.

"Who did?" I asked in curiosity.

"I did." I looked behind me and there was Oz, standing next to the Vespa with a bouquet of Lilies wrapped in blue paper. He smiled at me and I felt like turning into jelly. I ran over to him and stopped right in front of him, seeing him hold out the flowers to me.

"Happy birthday." He simply to me and I wrapped my arms around him, pecking his cheek in the process. He hugged me back.

"Aw, what a lovely couple!" Emmett teased from his spot at the front door. I looked over my shoulder at my brother, seeing him get smacked by his wife and my sister.

"Be nice." She replied to him, looking back at me and winked. I winked back and hugged Oz some more, not wanting to be anywhere else. The rest of the day went real smooth. I played the X-Box with Emmett and Jasper for some hours, then I read through my new copy of Alice in Wonderland and went on a test run of my new Vespa, carefully watched of course. Emily came by for a brief second and gave me her gift, a collage of pictures that were of me and her since we moved to Forks, and I placed it on the wall near my computer.

That night Oz told me to bundle up for a adventure, and how can I resist? I got on my heavy peacoat that Edward got me a year before for christmas and Oz carried me as he ran through the forest. He reached the cliffs that overlooked the ocean, and we stood to watch the crescent moon that was hanging in the sky with all of the brilliant stars and over the ocean. I loved looking at the ocean, especially at night.

He then took out a small box from his pocket and opened it in front of me. Inside was a silver necklace with a pendant of a crescent moon the size of two thumbs together, and there was a small star sitting in the moon. I gasped and saw how beautiful it looked as he took it out of the box and placed it around my neck.

"I saw it in the jewelry store when I went with Edward. He was getting your bracelet and I saw this in the window, it reminded me of you." He explained as he pulled away to look at me, while I was looking at the pendant around my neck. It wasn't heavy at all but it was so light in my hands. I smiled and looked back up at him, wrapping my arms around him and thinking of a part from Romeo and Juilet:

_"When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun."_

Oz smiled and kiss me on the lips, holding it there for what seemed like eternity, holding me close to his body but in a gentle manner.

"Your beauty overshadows the night." He whispered in my ear as he pulled away and pushed some of my red hair away from eyes.

"From your scent that's my own drug...." He paused, breathing me in and I gasped, "to your wild spirit that makes me stand on edge..." pausing again to lean his forehead on mine, "I can't see myself anywhere else but with you."

I smiled as he kissed me one last time, this was the best birthday ever.


	19. Hike Goes Sour

Summer came quickly after my birthday, changing the mood for everyone at the high school. I was more tense on what m future was going to be like, hoping it would be for the best. I, at first, decided not to go to my senior prom that year, which really made Rosalie mad. I told her it was for good reason: Oz. He wasn't used to being in the same room as hundreds of teenage humans, and that would make him to crazy. Oz told me I should still go because it'll be my last high school dance, which he had a point. He then played the victim card saying he would be a burden to me if he went along with me to the prom. After hours of arguing, we decided I would go with my siblings, because it would be my last dance, ever.

I graduated from Forks High School with high marks in History and Art, and I would like to thank Jasper for that! Alice threw a nice and small Graduation party for me, much to her dismay. I only had my family and a handful of my friends over, including Emily and her new boyfriend Skyler. It was so nice to see them all, but in the back of my mind it felt like the last time I would see them, well, the last time as a human.

So it was now late June and I was driving along the highway in my Vespa, which is now my favorite transportation if I ever want to cruise, or go slower than dirt according to my brothers and Oz. I did drive my BMV on regular basis with my siblings, taking Oz with me when we go on picnics and watch the stars at night. At first I loved this summer so far, filling myself with activities and being next to the vampire that I love. It felt like bliss.

I stopped along the hiking trail that lead deep in the forest. I took off my helmet and got my camera in the storage bin under my seat. HIking was another thing I did on a regular basis, liking to be all by myself and think of the future. I parked my Vespa near a large tree and wrapped a chain around it, though I trusted the small town of Forks. BUt if it was ever stolen, I knew my brothers would be out for blood if Oz wasn't looking for it first. Locking it up safely I walked into the forest with my camera ready.

It was nice and foggy, typical day in Forks, Washington. I went along the trail and took some pictures of the trees, leaves and sky. Emily got me into making a collage because of her birthday present, and I already made one of me and my family. I hopped over a fallen tree as I went uphill, seeing how the trees got taller as I went.

I reached the end of that trail, which lead off to the cliffs with a view of the ocean and coastline. I walked over to the cliffs and took a couple of pictures. But I heard something going on in the faint distance on my left and I looked over. THere was a small beach about 2 miles away on the lower level, the waves crashing on the beach and rolling back into the ocean. But there were some boys on the beach, and from my spot I could tell they had black hair that was a bit long, tied back to have their faces show. They were real tan, or real dark skinned and they were laughing. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was in their territory.

"La Push." I whispered to myself. I then saw then look over at my direction and I instantly ran back onto the trail to get back to my scooter. I broke a family rule: never to go to La Push Territory. At first I wondered why but Rosalie told me it was home to mongrels and dogs, aka Werewolves. I only wandered too far once, but I came back in time to see a frustrated Alice yelling at me not to go it again. THis time, however, I was deep in their land and I had to run just to get out. Sure I was a bit faster than my other human friends, thanks to a year or two on the track team, but I wasn't going to be fast enough to beat the were wolves.

I heard growling behind me as I ran, which made me run even faster and harder. I didn't want to be here, it was my own fault for being in their territory and now they might suspect me as a vampire like my family. I almost ran into a tree a couple of times, but I barely made it by.

There was my scooter, just sitting there my the tree it was locked too. I smiled to myself as I felt my pocket vibrate, it was my phone. I took out my phone, hopefully Alice wasn't having a fit with me.

"Hello?"

"Harper! Where are you? I can't see you!" Speak of the vampire herself. I was about to answer when I felt two hands grab at me and yank me backwards into a broad chest and arms wrapping around me, making me drop my phone. I heard Alice in my receiver: "Hello? Harper..."

"Take her to Sam, he'll know what to do with the Leech." The deep voice replied behind me. Sam? Leech? How can they not tell I wasn't a vampire? I was about to put on a fight when I saw a white cloth go over my nose and mouth, making me real sleepy. I tried to fight it but everything went black, the last thing I heard was Alice on the receiver yelling at someone.

"Something's wrong! Why can't I see her?!" Then I past out cold.

~* Several hours later*~

Something was covering me from the neck down and was rather itchy, but I felt like I had a fever. I could feel sweat coming down from my forehead and my palms felt very achy to me. I opened my eyes, seeing a ceiling with high beams. ON my left was a small window and on my right was a wooden chair. I tried to get up but I felt way too weak to even try. All my energy was poured out of me and I felt even worse when I was asleep. I wanted to go home, see my family and be with Oz.

"Ah, she's awake." I heard a deep voice reply and I looked to the door. Being wheeled in was a older man who sported a checkered fleece jacket, a black cowboy hat and worn down jeans. The boy wheeling him in had black hair, tan skin just like the old man and big brown eyes.

"Where am I?" I asked as polite as humanly possible, but I was too tired to try.

"You're in my cabin not far from the coast. My name is Billy Black." The older man replied. That name rings a bell, well Black did. I heard it sometimes from Carlisle and Edward the last couple of months. I wanted to run away but I felt too sick to even get up.

"You have a fever of 102, plus you were having a fit or something while you were asleep." Billy informed me as I sat up against the headboard, "I first want to apologize for the rude behavior of the boys here. They thought you were someone else..."

"You mean a vampire?" I asked in a cold tone, seeing that I hit a nerve on him. He nodded his head as I looked away from and him and out the window.

"That would be my family." I replied in a cold tone as I looked back at him.

"Well, my boys could smell vampire coming off of you and they though you were one, once again I apologize. I will call your father very shortly and we'll take you home as soon as you can walk." Billy explained in a polite tone. I smiled back, seeing how he was trying to be cooperative with me. I nodded my head.

"Thanks." I said to him, feeling how scratchy my throat was. He smiled at me and looked up at the boy who wheeled him in. The boy pulled BIlly back out of the room and I was alone again in the room. I wanted to go home and be with my family, why these guys decided to kidnap was far beyond me. But my head was pounding and my skin was burning. I wanted to be in my own bed at my own home, wrapped in Oz's arms.

"Get her." I hear aloud and I looked up, there were four boys standing at the foot of my bed, all with tan skin, black hair and dark eyes. I felt scared suddenly as two of them walked over to the right side of my bed and grabbed my arm. At first I was going to put out a fight, but they were way to strong for me handle all by myself. They pulled me out of the bed as if I was a rag doll, which I felt like one with their strength. I was dragged over to the biggest one of them all, who eyed me with disgust. I was about to scream when I felt a large hand go over my mouth and a low growl coming from my left side.

"Make one sound, I dare you." A deep voice growled in my ear and I stayed quiet.

"ENough Paul." The larger boy in front of me barked at him

"Sam, you heard Billy, we need to let her go." One boy said behind Sam, who was sporting black thick rimmed glasses and looked at me with concern. The boy in front of them looked at the glasses boy but back at me with a look of anger.

"Billy doesn't need to know what we're doing. She's our leverage to get to those bloodsuckers, so you bets keep your mouth shut Quil." Sam replied in a sneer.

"What about Jacob?" The boy on my right who was holding my arm tightly.

"Jacob's not a problem to us at all Paul, if he comes for a fight I'll handle him. Get her to the car." Sam ordered aloud as I was dragged out of the room, seeing a large car in front of the cabin and being shoved inside. I started to cry silently, wishing I was home again. Too bad I wasn't like dorothy so I could click my heels three times.

I have a feeling I'm not in Forks anymore.


	20. Hostage

We stopped at a nearby cave on the beach of La Push and it was already dark out, a bit off the track of regular beach attenders. The cave was hidden behind some trees underneath a cliff, so we had to climb over rocks in the water to reach the cave. Being dragged by Paul and other boy whom I found was named Jared, we reached the inside of the cave, which was quite large in height and width.

I was instantly placed on a rock near the wall on the East side, roughly may I add. I instantly rested my head on the wall, starting to shiver from the fever that was getting worse. But my clothes were wet from the rain that started to come down on us, I was getting real hungry from not eating for several hours and my head was swimming.

Sam was talking to Paul, Quil and Jared in his deep tone, barking out orders and looking so angry. But it was Quil who was looking over at me from his spot. I could tell through his thick rimmed glasses he looked concerned. But one look from Sam and he was paying attention once again. I felt my eyes starting to close again as I shivered in my spot, praying I would be home again.....

~*7 hours later*~

I woke up to a small, orange light in front of me. It was a lot colder than before, I still heard rain coming down from outside the cave. I looked and saw it was night now on the ocean and the stars were out. I smiled, it reminded me of Oz on my birthday when we went to the cliffs to look at the stars. Though I was aching and feeling like crap, thinking of Oz kept me satisfied.

"Hey, you woke up." I heard a deep but sheepish voice, I looked up suddenly and saw it was Quil, holding a big bag in one hand and a lantern in the other, lighting the whole cave. I could then see what was around me, Paul was at the cave entrance, looking back at me with a cold glare.

"DOn't mind Paul, he's a tough cookie to break." Quill replied, sitting down on the floor next to me on my left. From my spot I could see his face. He had a strong jawline and baby-like face, and he looked nicer compared to the wrath of Sam and Paul, a more relaxed face than stern.

"Here, I brought some food for you." He replied in a grunt, placing the bag on his lap. He took out a soup canister, a Tupperware filled with bread, a water bottle filled with orange juice and then a large blanket and sweatshirt.

"These were my mom's old clothes, so I bet they'll fit you." He handed me the sweatshirt. I got it on while he placed the blanket over my legs and got the canister open. I instantly smelled hot soup and my mouth watered. He handed it to me as I drank down some of it in a hurried state. Though it was real warm felt so nice to drink something and not be hungry anymore.

"Why are you help me, if you don't mind me asking." I asked him in curiosity as I took a piece of bred from the open Tupperware. He shrugged and ruffled his dark hair.

"I don't see you as a threat, unlike Sam and Paul who think you're a bad as your family. Just because you carry the name Cullen, doesn't make you so bad." Quil explained as I ate some bread. I shrugged.

"I never saw my family as bad people." I muttered as I saw Paul look my way again, still staring at me with a cold stare.

"Yeah well the Cullens and our pack never did see eye to eye. Sam and Paul are planning to take you back home in the morning, which is like in a few minutes since it is 5 in the morning" Quil replied aloud and I drank from OJ.

"Am I being used as bait?" I asked in a worried tone. Quil nodded. I gulped and was worried about the next question.

"Why?" I asked in a smaller tone. Quil just shook his head and looked down at his hands.

"They won't tell me, and I don't wanna know anyhow." He replied in a mutter and looked at my bread. I smiled and held it out for him to take.

"Want some?" I asked in a smile. He smiled back and took some, eating it quickly.

"THanks for this, by the way." I thanked him then drinking some more soup.

"Had to make you look alive since Paul wasn't going to do it. You were really sick when he caught you, and I didn't want to see the wrath of the Cullen family when we see you practically dead." Quil said in a shrug and smiled. I knew it was true, I could see my brothers charging at them and ripping their heads off because I looked skinny and dead.

"My family isn't all bad. Sure they're stubborn and overprotective, but they are nice people." I insisted to him as he ate some more bread.

"I wouldn't know myself. I only hear about them from Sam, Paul and Billy, but I never met your family face to face. They must be nice since you're nice too." He replied in a grin as he looked over at me with his glasses. I smiled and looked down at the canister in my hands. Then there was movement going on near Paul and we both looked up. I could see Paul looking out and talking to someone in the entrance of the cave, and I saw the light from the morning sun coming through. There was purple and red in the air as the morning came slowly.

"Here, let's get this out of the way." Quil replied, getting the canister, tupperwear and other things back in the bag in a flash. I shook off the crumbs on my sweatshirt and looked up once more time, to see Sam and Paul standing near us. Quil shot up form his spot, clutching his bag and keeping his head down. Sam first looked at him and then at me, still having a look of anger.

"Come on, time to take you home."


	21. The Showdown

I was pulled out of the van in a jolt and walked along the forest path. Paul was holding my arm tightly as Quil was on my left side, staying a bit behind me, but still close. Jared was behind us while Sam was in front of us, walking and stopping at the edge of a clearing about 300 feet all around. He held out his hand to stop us and I looked around to see if I knew the place around me, but it wasn't familiar to me. Quil looked at me and I saw concern in his eyes.

"Do I really look that bad?" I asked in a joking tone, but he stayed serious.

"You're getting bags under your eyes, you really don't look good." And boy was he right. My stomach was in knots, my head was heavy and my fever was getting worse. I felt like hot jello and I wanted to scream, but my voice was so thrashed.

"Keep her here until I tell you to come out with her." Sam reported to Paul in a snort as he looked at me one more time and eyed me. He then turned away and walked off down the path into the clearing, being closely followed by Jared. The three of us, myself Paul and Quil, stayed behind as we waited. I hoped my family was alright, if they weren't too wound up and worried about me. I wanted to see their faces again, feel their cool skin and hear their voices. But I mostly wanted to see Oz, it ached knowing I couldn't be near him at the moment.

Minutes went by, and they seems like hourglasses to me. I wanted to break away from them and run to my family, but I was way too weak to even stand. I could hear my heart beating in my ears and the sweat going down my cheeks and neck as I wanted to curl up in a ball. Paul kept his eye forward, with a tough glare and stance as Quil looked forward but also at me every once in awhile.

We then heard a whistle and Paul pulled me forward, I almost fell over a rock as we walked fast, me being pulled like a rag doll whereas Quil was right next to me. We walked about fifty feet and then there was a large clearing in front of us. It was a large circle of nothing but green grass and the borders were the high mountain trees. I was yanked in front of Paul and I looked in front of me. I saw my whole family standing at the opposite end of the clearing, all huddled together in a tight flank. As soon as I saw them I felt tears going down my pale fever cheeks as Paul pushed me down to my knees, placing his hand roughly on my shoulder. I looked at my parents and siblings, then lastly my lover.

Carlisle stayed calm, but I could see he was shocked to see me like this, his eyes told it all. Esme gasped and clung unto Carlisle's arm for support, her mouth and eyes wide. Rosalie was glaring, her hands forming fists by her sides. Emmett and Jasper together were shocked and had pain in their eyes as they saw me, I could see Jasper was visibly shaking. Edward looked furious when he saw me, having a small gasp and horror in his eyes. Alice had her hand over her mouth, her eyes in pain and sadness as they went to my eyes.

Lastly I saw Oz who was next to Esme in the back of the pack. He had the worse pain in his eyes, I saw how sad they were though they were so gold and bright. He took a hesitant step forward and stopped, as if he was going to step eve more forward and I was going to disappear, I wanted to reach out and grab him, but Paul's grip on me made it hard to move.

"You son of a bitch!" Jasper said in a growl and was about to take a step forward when Carlisle had his hand out to block Jasper.

"Now now, no need to be all temperamental with us, she is after all alive." I heard Sam sneer at them in front of me.

"Yea, barely. You almost killed her!" Rosalie barked at him and felt Paul's fingers dig into my shoulder. Sam smiled and chuckled lightly.

"She was on our territory, so we found this to be a perfect opportunity to discuss.....a exchange." Sam explained as Carlisle's face went from calm to confusion.

"Exchange? I don't know what you mean..." Carlisle trailed off.

"I'll give you your daughter, in return for one of your own." Sam informed in as I heard a gasp from Esme.

"Whom would you want?" Carlisle asked in a soft tone, keeping his appearance as calm and collective. Sam's smile went bigger as he walked over to me. I cringed as he touched my wild red hair and I saw Oz take in a sharp breath and his eyes went to rage.

"I want your newest member." Sam replied, paying with my hair as my eyes went big. Oh no, not Oz, please not him! I yanked on the hold Paul had on me, but he yanked me back in force as my family looked over to Oz. Oz stepped out in front of my family and kept his eyes on me, seeing sadness in his eyes. I pleaded with my eyes, I didn't want him to come over, I knew it would be over. He then started to walk to the middle of the field as Paul yanked me to my feet and gave me a shove forward. I walked slowly, feeling nothing in my knees. I started to shiver as I met with Oz in the middle of the field, already in tears as he reached for my cheek.

"Please don't do this Oz, I can't...." but I broke down in tears, feeling his cool arms wrap around me. God did I miss his embrace as he kissed my forehead, hair, eyelids in a fast pace but all kisses were soft and loving.

"I thought I lost you." he murmured in my hair and I sobbed, holding him closer and digging my head into his cold neck.

"But I won't loose you, never again." He replied in a stern tone as he kissed my lips. I held it for a long time, feeling his hold on me tighten. I thought it would be the last kiss I would ever get from him, but as he pulled away completely from my hold, he held my hand a little bit longer before turning to the pack. He was about to walk to them when there was a loud roar. We all looked to the right where it was coming from and then something large leaped out of the trees, it was a wolf! It landed in between Oz and myself and Sam. The wolf growled at Sam, crouching low as Oz went back to me and shielded me from the wolf. Sam looked shocked but he then took a step forward to the wolf. What was he doing? Was he crazy?

"Easy Jacob." He said aloud to the wolf, who in return snapped at him and he back off in a instant. Paul, Jared and Quil took two steps back and left Sam alone. The wolf growled one last time before walked over to him in his crouched stance, looking like he was about to kill him.

"Fine, let us talk in the forest." Sam muttered, eyeing me and Oz one more time before going into the forest with the wolf behind them. They both disappeared in the forest as Paul and Jared followed. But Quil looked and rushed over to us with a frantic look in his eyes.

"You guys need to leave, like now! Billy found out about this and he is pissed, so he sent Jacob over to talk to Sam." Quil explained as I walked around Oz to face him. I smiled at him and gave him a short hug.

"Thank you." I replied in a croak as I pulled away. He shrugged. We then heard another growl from where Sam and the wolf disappeared.

"Go! Now!" Quil said in a rush tone. Oz nodded next to me and I was then hoisted into his arms. It felt to be held by him again, I missed it so much as I rest my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. He turned with me in his arms and walked back to my family, who all rushed to me with concern in their eyes. I felt many touches and heard many whispered from my family, saying I looked like I was on the verge on death.

"Come, we must get her in a bed and in dry clothes." Carlisle ordered as we all broke into a run through the forest, leaving Quil alone in the clearing looking after us.

"And you must shower too." I heard Oz say aloud. I poked my head up from his chest and gave him a puzzled look.

"Do I smell that bad?" I asked in a joking tone. He smirked.

"No, but you smell of wet dog."


	22. Recover

Being back in my bed felt like heaven to me. But according to my father, I had a 103 fever and was almost completely dehydrated. I was stripped into my warm pajamas and placed in my bed a soon as I came home. I kept hearing voices while I was going in and out of my sleep. They seemed very concerned about my well being, since I felt like I was dying when I was kidnapped and held against my will. I kept shivering in my sleep as I felt hunger take over again, kicking at my stomach and making me want to cry for being so hungry.

I woke up to the sound of rain pounding on my window in some darkness. It was a bit dark out and the rain was hitting like bullets on my window. I could only smile, feeling warm in my bed and content under my skin. I heard the door opening slightly and I looked over my shoulder, seeing Jasper poking his head in. I could see the outline of his blond wild hair. He walked in quietly and walked over to my right side, sitting down in a spare chair and scooting close to me side. I smiled at him as he reached out and started to stroke my hair gently.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked aloud, feeling how sore my throat was.

"Two straight days. Esme was having a fit." He replied in a cold tone as he ran his fingers through my bangs. I could see he looked scared just being near me and I wanted to ask why.

"Jasper....what's wrong?" I asked him in a scared tone.

"I'm just.....worried about you, that's all." he replied as he looked at me and I could see he was worried. His eyebrows were together and confused looking.

"You still look very sick Harper. Here." He replied as he grabbed my make up mirror from my nightstand and brought it over to have it in front of my face. I looked in my reflection and saw a dead girl staring back at me. Her skin was pale and sorrowful looking, dark circles were under her eyes and sweat all over her face. I wondered if we were the same person, but I knew it was true and I wanted to hide it.

"Dad says you should be able to get out of bed in a few hours or so." Jasper mumbled as he placed the mirror back on the nightstand. I was still numb from seeing myself, I looked like a grim reaper. I felt like I was dying when I was with the wolf pack.

"I thought I was dead." I replied aloud in a mutter and squeezed the pillow beneath my head, "Or, at least going to be dead. I thought...I wouldn't be able to come home again."

"Don't say that, you know we were going to find you and get you out of there." Jasper said to me in a stern tone as his fingers went back to my hair and stroked my red hair softly. I smiled as I looked out the window.

"I need to thank Quil when I see him." I replied aloud, "He's the reason I'm still breathing." I heard Jasper taking in a deep breath as I looked up at him and rearranged myself in my bed.

"Why do we, as a family, dislike the pack so much? I mean, did we make them mad or something?" Sure it was dumb to ask, but I wanted to know.

"Well, some time ago, before Alice and I joined the family, the pack saw our family hunting on their grounds and they instantly knew who they were. So, Carlisle made a treay with them, which says we will not hutn on their land and that we won't kill a human being while we are in the area." Jasper explained, "We never did see eye to eye, because of our lifestyle and what we are. But we have lived in peace and harmony with them ever since."

"They called me a leech, or Sam did anyways." I muttered and he chuckled.

"He must of smelled vampire on you, since you're around us all the time really." Jasper said in a humrous tone, "Sam doesn't seem no friendly, and neither does his right hand man who held you down."

"Paul? Yeah he was rather mean to me." I replied in a grumble and I heard a low growl from Jasper. I touched his cold arm and he fell silent.

"But the thing that really scared me Jasper, was when Sam wanted Oz instead of me. I didn't want him to be taken from me." I said to him in a honest tone, feeling as though some tears will be back to go down my cheeks once again.

"You know he loves you very much. He was worried sick when you didn't come home, almost went out to their territory just to get you." Jasper explained aloud. I gasped aloud.

"But then he would of been killed." I protested.

"Ah, but he didn't care. Edward warned him about our treaty, but we could tell he was going to put up a fight just to find you. Carlisle had to talk him down. Bu we then got a phone call early that morning from Sam, saying he wanted to meet us in order to get back what was ours." Jasper explained as he growl again. I squeezed his arm.

"Jasper, you know I don't like it when you growl like that." I reminded him in a muttered tone and he sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's just that....you're my sister and I feel like I should look out for you always." He replied in a softer tone.

"I know, but can I not make my own decisions, Jazz? I mean, I knew it was a bad idea to go into the woods alone, but I had no idea when I was in the forest it was in thier territory. Look, I know you want to protect me Jasper, but I'm a big girl." I explained. He nodded his head in agreement.

"Just promise me you'll won't venture off alone anymore, just for now. That'll ease my tension a bit." He explained as he pushed the bangs out of my eyes. I smiled at my brother

"I promise."


	23. It's Only The Beginning

Finally I was able to walk again and get out of bed! I felt much better after a hot cup of soup made from scratch thanks to Esme, and some good company from Oz. He stayed by my side after the conversation I had with Jasper, talking to me about his day when I was asleep. Emmett took him on a hunting trip to get away from the house and to clear his head, but in return he caught himself a bear. I giggled when he told in excitement the size with his wide eyes and using his hands to show the size. I at first got scared to hear how big the bear was compared to my tiny Oz, but I had to remind myself who was talking to and I listened while he told me the rest of the story.

"Emmet wanted to get some mountain lions along the border, but I was too full to get one." He replied in a grin as we went on our regular walk in the forest near our house. He held my hand tightly as we walked our familiar path.

"Sounds like you had a real good time." I said aloud in a smirk as he kissed my hair.

"It was a good time away from here, but I was thinking about you the whole time. Jasper told me you were asleep the whole time I was gone...."He trailed off and I felt him squeeze my hand slightly.

"I was fine, really. I was more worried about you and if you were okay. I don't even know why Sam wanted you anyways." I informed him as I looked up slightly at him.

"Edward told me what Sam was thinking after we got you home. He was thinking of getting rid of me because I was new to the area and I seemed like a threat to him and his pack." Oz explained as he looked back at me. I bit my lip and I felt him let go of my hand and wrap his arm around my waist.

"I didn't want you to go with them." I said aloud in a sad tone, feeling his hold on me tighten slightly.

"I know, but I wanted you alive and safe, even if it means for me to die." he replied as we stopped in the middle of the forest. I stood in front of him as his open hand went to touch my face gently. I instantly saw darkness and then some flashbacks. _The first one was when I first saw Oz outside my window, seeing him look at me. Then the next flashback was of my birthday, seeing Oz holding my bouquet of flowers in his hand._

_But the next one was unfamiliar to me, something I don't remember doing at all. It was in a church, all there were lilies on the pews and candles lit around the church. People were in the pews sitting as there were two people at the end of the aisle in front of a Pastor, who was reading from a bible. The couple looked so happy to me, but as I got closer to the couple, I could see the details. The bride was wearing a beautiful sundress with the veil in her red hair, that was in loose curls. I looked closer and gasped, the bride was me, and Oz was the groom!_

The flashback ended and I took a deep breath. Oz held me steady as I looked around to see we were back in the forest. I looked back to Oz and I saw him smile at me.

"Did I just see......our future?" I asked in a shocked tone. He nodded his head in a grin and I couldn't help but smile so brightly and kissed him on the lips. He held it for what seemed like forever and then pulled away.

"And so far I like it." He replied to me with his forehead on mine and I giggled, knowing my future was going to be so bright.

The rest of the summer went by without any confrontation from the pack. I spent the summer with Oz and went out some nights with Emily and some other graduates to celebrate our victory in completing school. I heard some news from my fellow graduates on where they were going to go for college, which kind of made me sad.

Edward and Bella were getting really close, I could tell he truly loved her after saving her from James. But overhearing Edward's conversation with Carlisle, saying Bella wants to be a vampire just like them. Edward kept saying he didn't want to change her, he loved her too much and didn't want to see her become the undead. That was then I realized why Oz wouldn't change me, he loved me too much as I loved him.

It was finally September back in Forks. Emily went off to USC and made me swear I would email her, text her, and even call her whenever something amazing happens in my life, which made me worry. I didn't want to call her and tell I became a member of the undead, so I placed that in the back of my mind.

Alice wanted to throw a birthday party for Bella at our house, so I helped her getting the house ready. She got the house filled with lights, flowers and decorations, typical Alice. Soon the day was finally here and we waited patiently of Edward and Bella. I looked over at Oz next to me. He was wearing a nice dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up of course to his elbows, a pair of black skinny pants and new sneakers he got in town today. Fitting on his right wrist was the Cullen Crest Carlisle gave him this morning when they went on a hunting trip. I have never seem Oz to happy as he came home and showed me with excitement.

"When are they going to get here?!" Alice replied in a huff next to Jasper, who seemed very uneasy for some reason. I gave him a questioning look to see what was wrong, but he just shook his head, telling me he didn't want to talk about it.

"Patience, Alice. Ever heard of it?" Emmett asked he as he wrapped a arm around a mad looking Rosalie. She still wasn't warming up to Bella, but at least she was playing along. Alice then shut her eyes and stayed still for a couple of seconds, before opening her eyes again and smiling.

"Ah, they're here." She replied in a smiled as she danced over to the front door. I took Oz' s hand in mine and smiled up at him.

"You seem relatively happy today." I told him in a grin and he smiled back at me.

"You'll have to wait and find out." he replied back to me, kissing my forehead. I was about to ask him when Alice, Bella and Edward walked into the living room. We all gave Bella a hug and told her happy birthday. THough Oz was timid on hugging her, he did it and passed with flying colors.

"Come on Bella! Open your presents!" Alice chimed in, handing her a small package and smiling so brightly. We all stood in front of her as she went to open the package when she yelped in pain.

"Ow, paper-cut." She replied, holding out her finger that had a trinklet of blood on the pad of her finger. Then, things went out of control. I saw Jasper's face contort and he ran torwards her in a fiery rage. As he did that I felt Oz's arms wrap around me and he made his back turn to Bella, digging his face into my hair and breathing in deeply. I knew he was trying to distract the smell of blood with my scent, so I let him breathe me in. I looked around the corner as I heard something crashing into glass and another thing crashing into the piano! I looked in horror and saw Bella on the floor surrounded by glass with her arm cut open, then I saw Jasper on top of a heap of what used to be a piano. I cried out and wanted to go out to him, but I needed to stay with Oz and be his distraction.

Oh boy, this is bad.....


	24. Boundary Finally Lost

I sat in the driver's seat of my car watching the forest scene go by us. Oz drove my car as we followed Jasper and Alice's car on the highway, on our way to Alaska. Since the birthday incident was a disaster, Edward decided he didn't want to put Bella in anymore danger, so he broke it off with her and left her in Forks with a broken heart. I wanted to say goodbye to her, but Edward told me not to, it would be better if it was a clean break. So now I wasn't talking to Edward, giving him the silent treatment and blocking my thoughts from him. He wasn't in good shape anyways.

Oz took my hand in his while his other hand was on the steering wheel. He squeezed my hand gently as I looked over at him, seeing him look at me briefly with concern in his golden orbs.

"You're angry." He simply replied in a concerned tone. I nodded my head.

"Yes, but not at you, I'm mad at Edward." I replied in a bitter tone, trying not to sound mad in front of Oz but I couldn't help it, he just drops the bomb on her and then leaves, thinking it would fix everything.

"Because of his decision on leaving Bella at Forks." He ended my thought and I sighed loudly, pulling my hand away to rub my eyes in frustration.

"Why did he have to do that?! I mean honestly, does he not have the thought that maybe we humans aren't as thick-skinned as you vampires?!" I asked aloud in a groan and louder tone.

"He only wants to protect her. I can understand. It was very dangerous for Bella that night when Jasper almost harmed her, he couldn't help it, it was his instinct." Oz tried to explain to me in calm tone, but I was still not having it.

"So would you leave me if I was in Bella's shoes?" I asked him in a serious tone. I saw him clench the steering wheel as his eyes were forward on the road, looking more firm.

"That's different." He replied in a mutter.

"How? We're both human, we both are surrounded by vampires, and we both really don't care about being in danger. So tell me Oz, would you leave me just to protect me?" I asked him in a stern tone. He sighed and took my hand again, stroking the top of my hand with his thumb.

"Not in a million years." He replied as he looked at me for a solid second. I smiled from that remark as he kissed my hand and looked back to the road, never letting go of my hand. We drove down the highway in silence, but I knew we had a conversation by the way he held my hand. He was telling me so many things:

_Don't worry she'll be okay_

_I won't ever leave you_

_You mean the world to me_

_I love you_

~*Several Hours Later*~

We finally arrived at the house we were going to stay in. It was nice a big, our typical style of a home. Esme had it already done and ready for us. As I got out of the car and walked around to take Oz's hand, I saw Edward walking into the house in a fast pace, not talking to anyone around him. At first I was scared for him, thinking what was going on in his mind, but I knew he needed space.

Later that night I got my stuff unpacked in my new room. Oz was helping me unpack some things when I placed the last box down on the floor and sighed in relief. Thank goodness I was done. I sat down on my new bed and fell back, hitting the comforter and smiling. Oz chuckled and laid down next to me on my bed, both of us looking at the ceiling.

"So, is this what it's like?" He asked aloud after a moment or two of silence. I looked over at him, seeing his profile.

"Is what like?" I asked back in curiosity.

"Moving a lot, since you move every four or five years so you won't raise suspicion." Oz explained, looking over at me.

"Yeah, it's weird at first, but you get used to it after doing it awhile." I replied back to him and reached out, touching his cheek and feeling how cold it was. He smiled back at me.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." He replied, leaning in to kiss me. I kissed him back and then from then on we had nothing but each other for mere moments in time. I knew this was going to be bad when we faced my family tomorrow, but in that moment with Oz on my bed, I didn't want it to end.

((No need to tell you what happens here, use your healthy imaginations!))

~*Next day*~

I woke up alone in my bed, feeling very tired and somewhat sore. I looked over to my window and saw it was already late morning, but there was no Oz. At first I thought of where he would be, but then it all ran back into my mind. I remembered what we did last night, pushing the boundaries and making love for the first time. I went up to run my fingers through my hair but I felt something sore in my arm. I looked and saw a medium sized bruise on my arm and one on my shoulder. I gulped, were we that rough?

"Oz is with Carlisle." I heard my mother's voice. I looked to my right and saw Esme, sitting on the side of my bed with her hands folded and she was staring at with a gentle stare. I bit my lip and looked down, feeling ashamed.

"I just want to know if you're alright." I heard her say to me with some concern in her voice. I thought about it for some time and looked underneath my sheets to see some more bruises on my body. I looked back up at my mom and stammered out, "I...uh....have some bruises."

"I see, that does happened, according to your father." Esme replied back to me. I was shocked, thinking she was going to yell at me for what I did, or even smack me.

"Please don't hate me." I muttered sitting up and pulling the blanket over the whole body minus my neck and head. Esme sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing in this world would ever make me hate you, Harper. I have been concerned about you and Oz for some time, concerned along the lines of your boundaries." Esme explained in a calm tone and she smiled at me.

"I know, and I understand. We should of waited for a little bit of more time." I started off, "but I don't regret it."

"And you shouldn't. Honey, I think what you two did last night is a act that should be down between two people who truly love each other, and I know you two love each other deeply and unconditionally." Esme replied aloud and I smiled, "I'm more worried about you and your bruises."

"It's nothing I can't handle, I promise mom." I reassured her as I saw her get up from my bed.

"Well, I made you something to eat. So when you're dressed you can come eat." Esme explained as she kissed my forehead. I nodded my head and watched her go out of my room. I sighed and leaned back in my bed, holding my head in my hands. I_t could of been worse_, I thought to myself, But I still have to face my siblings. Great.

This was going to be one hell of a day.


	25. The Morning After and A Revelation

I felt like I was doing the walk of shame as I went into the kitchen in my pajamas that I got on after Esme's talk. I walked in nervously as Esme placed a plate in front of me at the tale. I sat down in a rush and looked down at my food, feeling guilty she made it for me. I heard her walk over to me and I felt a kiss in my hair.

"Don't worry about it." She replied to me as she stroked some of my hair.

"I can't help it mom, I felt like I did a horrible thing, what if they hate me for it?" I asked in a scared tone.

"Your family would never hate you." She replied back to as we heard someone walking in. I looked up and saw it was Oz and Carlisle coming from the living room. I saw Carlisle, he didn't seem mad at all as Oz came over to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I craned my head up to touch his forehead with his as Carlisle went to Esme.

"Are you alright?" he asked me in a whisper as I breathed him in, feeling better already.

"I'm scared." I admitted as I saw him look down at me with both concern and loving eyes.

"WHat has happened is in the past now." Carlisle said aloud as we both looked over to him. I wanted to run over and hug him, to thank him for not killing me or anything. But I stayed in my seat.

"All we ask is for you two to be more careful, protection wise." Carlisle replied to the both of us, who nodded out heads in agreement.

"Of course, thank you dad." I said to him in a smile, he smiled back at me and wrapped a arm around Esme.

"I trust this won't be a regular routine for the both of you." Esme said to us in a worried tone. I was about to answer when Oz beat me to it.

"No it won't be Esme. I promise you, we'll take more time into consideration." Oz said aloud as I squeezed his hand that was on my shoulder. I smiled from his remark. Of course we wanted to wait a bit longer until we did that again, but we both did regret a single moment. We then heard the rest of the family walking into the kitchen from the living room. I saw my siblings, minus Edward, looking at the both of us with not grim or saddened faces. In fact they looked normal to me. I was scared thought, what if they didn't like what I did.

"We already talked to them about what happened last night, so there is no need to press them into saying anymore." Carlisle told them all as he and Esme walked out of the room and to the garage. So we were left there in silence, my four siblings looking at Oz and myself. I waited for someone to say something, anything to break the silence between us.

Then I saw Emmett crack a smile, Alice also smiling as well from her spot next to Jasper. Then Jasper nodded his head to the both of us and Rosalie raised her eyebrow. Then Emmett held his hand palm up to Jasper and turned his head to him with a smirk on his face.

"You owe me fifty bucks." Great, my brothers were betting on my virginity?! I shot up from my spot, seeing Oz back off a bit and I looked at my two brothers in fury.

"You two were betting on my virginity?" I asked them in a raised tone. I saw Emmett look at me in horror as I was about to go to him when Rosalie held up her hands and stood in front of her husband.

"Hey, calm down!" She said to me as I felt two hands on my arms pulling me back gently. I was still fuming from what I saw between my two brothers.

"I saw you two in the future in this exact position." Alice informed me as I looked over at her.

"You did?" I asked in a softer tone.

"Yes I did, but I thought it was going to be way into the future, I mean way into the future." Alice explained to me as I eased up in my fury.

"The boys were just seeing how long until you two....well...." Rosalie trailed off, trying to find the right words to say.

"Did it?" Emmett suggested in his grin and Rosalie slapped him upside the head.

"In lamest terms, yes. It was rude and uncalled for, I apologize." Jasper said aloud from Alice's side. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Same here, I'm sorry Harp." Emmett replied, rubbing the sore spot on his head from where ROsalie slapped him. I just nodded my head as I felt Oz trying to relax me by rubbing my shoulders. Alice in then froze in her spot and had a dazed look in her eyes.

"Alice?" Jasper asked her, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving a look of concern. I looked over to her as well as she moved again with a small smile on her face.

"The Denali clan is here." She replied in a smirk, a knock coming from the front door a second later. Rosalie walked off with Emmett following her as they went for the door. I looked over to Oz and he gave me questioning look.

"Are they they vampire family you told me about?" He asked me and I nodded, ruffling his hair as we heard murmured voices coming our way. Jasper and Alice moved out of the way as Rosalie and Emmett walked in, being followed by Kate, Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar. THey still looked as beautiful as the last time I saw them when I was sixteen. Kate with her long blond hair and elegant face, Tanya with her spirit and strawberry blond hair that was curly and vibrant, Carmen who her dark hair and dark skin, thought it was still pale, and Eleazar with his height and dark hair. I saw Oz next to me take a step back as Eleazar opened his arms in front of me with a smile of his face.

"Ah, Harper. You have grown quite a big since I have seen you last, and you still look radiant." Eleazar replied to me in his elegant tone. I got up from my spot and walked over, giving him a nice warm hug. Eleazar was always so nice to me since I first met him and the rest of the clan. As I pulled away I saw him eyeing Oz and I looked behind me, seeing him uneasy and clutching the kitchen chair tightly. I could see he was about to snap it.

"You must be Oz, the newest member on this loving family. My name is Eleazar." Eleazar introduced himself and walked over in a graceful manner, holding out his hand for Oz to shake. At first Oz looked to me to see if it was alright and I nodded. So he smiled and shook his hand, instantly seeing Eleazar's eyes widen.

"Psychometry, how rare...." Eleazar replied as he looked at Oz with amazement. Oz looked at him in shock.

"How do you...." Oz trailed off.

"My husband has a ability to identify vampires who also have special abilities." Carmen replied aloud in her soft spanish accent from her spot next to Tanya. Oz smiled again, seeming more at ease.

"I've never encountered a vampire with a ability such as yours." Oz told Eleazar who smiled.

"Ah, well then I am most honored of course." Eleazar replied in a grin.

"I am Carmen, Eleazar's wife. Come, let me have a good look at you _el hermoso_." Carmen insisted aloud. Oz walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"Ah, such a nice feature and eyes..." She trailed off and smiled, "But pardon my behavior. May I introduce my daughters, Tanya and Kate."

"Hi!" Tanya replied in a jittery tone, shaking Oz's hand with enthusiasm as Kate simply shook his hand and smiled slightly. I walked over to Oz and took his hand in mine.

"It makes me so happy to see Harper happy." Tanya said in a giddy tone as she eyed Oz and myself together as a pair.

"Yes, you seem right for her." Kate added back as she smirked.

"AH, I see Oz has finally met our friends." Carlisle replied as he walked in with Esme from the direction of the garage, "Now Eleazar, what brings you to our home?"

Eleazar replied, taking something out of his pocket. It was a vile the size of a finer, long and slender. Inside there was a blue substance that was almost filled to the top. He held it out to my father, to walked over slowly and cocked his head to the side.

"I have come here to show you something I have been wanting to show you. The Volturi has given me this to test, though I haven't done it yet." Eleazar informed us as he handed Carlisle the vile. Carlisle inspected the substance.

"What is this substance." Carlisle asked aloud to Eleazar.

"That, according to the Volutri, can change a vampire into a human."


	26. TWo Problems

"Human?" Carlisle asked in shock as the rest of the vampires in the room were shocked as well. I got confused, changing from vampire to human? It seemed like it couldn't be done, how could that even work? Everyone looked at the vial as if it was going to save them all from something so huge. But how could something so small make a huge change.

"Is it even possible?" Jasper asked aloud from being next to Alice.

"I don't know. I haven't tested it yet. According to Aro, it should make a vampire human, but only for a small amount of time." Eleazar explained as he saw Carlisle, still looking at the vial.

"Why for so little time?" ROsalie asked him aloud in wonder.

"I can't really say, it must not be powerful enough to change a vampire into a human Permanently ." Eleazar replied aloud."But Aro wanted me to test it."

"Why you?" I asked aloud in wonder, but Eleazar just shook his head.

"I'm not really sure. I am sure there will be some dangerous side effects, or even a back lash." Eleazar explained to me, making me cringed. Maybe a vampire will get killed from it.

"What if someone else were to test it and see what would happen?" Oz asked from beside me. I looked up at him and saw him look at Eleazar.

"It would still be a risk, why you ask?" Eleazar asked him in curiosity.

"What if I were to drink it and test it myself." my eyes widened and I started to panic. What was he thinking?! Did he really want to kill himself over it? I was about to say something when Carlisle spoke up.

"Let us discuss this in the living room, just the three of us." Carlisle said aloud in a calm tone. Oz kissed my head then left the room with Eleazar and Carlisle. There was silent for a moment. I was getting scared but I felt a wave of calm go through me. I sighed and looked over at Jasper, who was eyeing me and was keeping calm.

"Oh Harper! Do tell us who your boyfriend is!" Tanya broke the silence in her giddy tone as she bounced over to me with her happy smile on her face.

"Tanya, no need to confront her so harshly." Kate said to her sister as she walked over slowly. I heard Emmett laugh softly and Rosalie smile.

"It's okay Kate. I met Oz back at Forks. He was wandering through our area and he found our family and wanted to stay with us." I explained, glossing over some of the details that really happened. I could see Kate cocking her eyebrow in wonder as she walked over slowly.

"Was he from the Vivaldi clan?" She asked aloud in curiosity. I saw the other members of my family looked at her in confusion.

"How did you know about his old clan?" Jasper asked Kate.

"I saw the markings on his arm. Some vampire clans often mark themselves with brands tattoos to often claim their loyalty. I remember seeing the Vivaldi clan coming through here some time ago, maybe 20 years ago. I remember seeing those markings such as the one on Oz's arm." Kate explained calmly as I thought about his tattoo on his arm.

"The leader seemed rather...." Kate started off. I was going to say mean and cruel.

"Rude! My goodness when we tried to be nice to them they were simply rude!" Tanya replied in a huff and I heard Alice giggle.

"Yeah well they seem to be more along the private family than we are." Emmett added in as I kept gazing over to the living room to see if Oz was alright. I started growing nervous from the thought of being away from him for a long period of time.

"You seem attached to the boy, eh Harper?" Kate asked in a smile as Tanya giggled. I smiled.

"I do love him." I replied back to her and saw her smile grow even more.

"It's good you finally found someone!" Tanya said in a smile and I heard Jasper laughed from his spot. I was about to say something when I saw Carlisle, Eleazar and Oz walk back into the kitchen. I saw Oz walked back to me instantly and I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Eleazar will be testing on this some more, then we can discuss drinking this substance." Carlisle told everyone and I felt a wave of relief go through me. I felt Oz squeezing my arm and I looked up and smiled at him. I felt so much better knowing Oz wasn't going to take it. But I was then confused as I felt Alice grab my arm and yanked me away in a jolt from the rest of the group. She had a concerned look in her eyes as she faced me in the hallway.

"Did you use protection?!" She asked in a whisper, almost a loud tone. My eyed widened as I thought about what she just asked.

"Did you and Oz, you know, protect yourselves?" Alice asked in a softer tone, seeing my shocked expression. I shook my head slowly, now that I think about it, we didn't at all. She then looked down to my belly slowly, as did I.

"Well, we're going to have a problem," Alice replied, looking back at me and I gasped. Oh no, it sounded like it was impossible, unreal. I placed my hands on my belly and gulped, I was......pregnant?

"Let me rephrase, two problems."

Authors Note: Sorry for it being so short, I'm in Finals at the moment and it's going to set me back at bit so bear with me.

So, should Oz take the substance when it's ready, or someone else! Let me know with your imput!!


	27. Twins!

I paced back and forth in my room, biting my nails and trying not to punch the wall as passed it every five seconds. Thunder boomed from outside my window as I felt like I was getting suck again. it was about a week or two after Alice told me about the future, my future. Since then I've been throwing up every morning and sometimes at night, feeling tired all the time and not eating what I would usually eat. That part worried Esme as I would stop eating my favorite foods she would give me. I knew something was wrong, but it was bad, real bad.

Alice had me take a pregnancy test she got for me from town. At first I was shocked, because I knew I would have to be weeks along before taking a test. But she told me this was a different situation than regular pregnancies. I was going to question her as to why but she shoved me in the bathroom before I could say anything else.

Edward knew something was up, so I did my best to clear my thoughts whenever I was around him. I kept having songs in my head rather than to have my thoughts go wild as to what was going on. Though I knew he was concerned about me, I was still fuming at him and I didn't want to deal with Edward and his wrath.

I could feel myself getting anxiety by the seconds going by and I felt sick again. I ran into the bathroom and thew up in the toilet yet again today. By now, everyone in the house knew something was wrong and they kept pestering me with questions. But Alice stopped them as the questions got more urgent. Oz was the worst, wanting to see what was wrong but I told him nothing. He was waiting outside my room, making me thankful that Alice told him to wait outside, but I knew he was pacing too as the timer went off.

I was hunched over the toilet and flushed it as Alice walked in with the pregnancy test in her hand, having a ghost like look on her face. I looked up, feeling weak from hurling my lunch down the toilet and saw her face. She bit her lip and looked down at the test one more time before holding it out to me, but by then I held my head in my hands and started to cry.

I can't be pregnant! I just turned eighteen for god's sake and I'm still so young. I was too scared for what was going to happen to me, and to my child. To bring a child into the world of vampires doesn't sound too good, even if my family would protect my child at all cost. it was still too risky for me and I didn't know what to do.

I felt small arms wrap around me and being pulled into a small petite chest. Alice rang her fingers in my hair as I tried to stop crying.

"What am I going to do? What will mom and dad think? I already screwed up as it is..." I trailed off. I then felt a yank and Alice placed both of her hands on either side of my face, making me stare at her serious face.

"You did not screw up anything, you understand? Mom and dad still love you no matter what and I know your baby is going to be a blessing." Alice reassured me in a serious tone. I knew she was telling me the truth as we heard the door opening and two pairs of feet walking to the bathroom. I saw Oz and Edward peering in carefully and with caution.

"Love?" Oz asked aloud as I got up slowly with the help of Alice, "Edward told me what happened. Is it true?"

"Yes, we took a home pregnancy test." Alice informed him as Oz looked over at me. I expected anger or frustration, but he just simply held out his arms as if he was waiting for me to run into his arms. But I was frozen in my spot next to Alice and I didn't want to me,

"Aren't you angry?" I asked him in a worried tone. I saw his facial expression went from soft to concern as he lowered his arms and walked over to me slowly.

"Of course not! I think this is a great thing." Oz replied in a honest tone and I smiled weakly. I then walked over and hugged him closely, feeling his chin on my head and his arms on my lower back.

"I know you're scared, I am too. But I don't want you to think this was your fault, because it wasn't." Oz said to me in a soft tone that made me sigh and hug him tightly. I looked over and saw Edward eyeing me with concern.

"How did you know? I've been blocking my thoughts for some time from you." I told him in a confused tone.

"I know, and it's been aggravating as hell to try and hear your thoughts. But Today when I passed by your room I heard a small voice in my head, it was too small to be an adult. I thought there was a child near our home, but there wasn't so I connected the dots and found out it was the thoughts of your unborn child." Edward explained to me as he walked over to me. He could hear my child's thoughts? I pulled away from Oz and placed my hands on my stomach.

"Can you hear it now?" I asked him in wonder. Edward looked down at my belly and so did I. I didn't realize how my stomach was now a bit swollen, how could that be? Edward kept his eyes on my belly and I could tell he was concentrating real hard.

"She's very much in love with the both of you." He replied to me as I couldn't help but smile. He said she, it was a girl! I was going to have a daughter! I smiled as I felt Oz's hand brush my stomach lightly with his fingers, giving me chills.

"She loves it when you laugh, and she wants to hear her father's voice again." Edward told us, looking at the both of us. I smiled and saw Oz place his palm against my stomach.

"Hello little one." Oz said aloud beside me as he rubbed my belly. I saw Edward smile slightly and Alice as well. I leaned back into Oz's embrace, feeling more tired than ever. Edward then looked troubled as he looked at my stomach once more.

"Edward?" Alice asked in worry. Edward then looked up at me and gave me a crooked smile.

"Your daughter and your son love to hear your voice." He told me and my jaw dropped. A son, and a daughter?! Twins?! I gripped Oz's arm, trying not to faint as I felt him hold me up.

"Yay! This is so exciting!!! I'll need to get clothes for both my niece and my nephew!" Alice replied in a squeal and clapped her hands together in excitement. I smiled from seeing her enthusiasm.

"What will we do about Carlisle and Esme?" Oz asked me softly as he rubbed my stomach again.

"I think they already know, and trust me, they're not mad, just shocked is all." Edward said to us and I smiled, thank god!

"But it's best to talk to Carlisle about this, because this might be a first for our kind to have children." Edward informed us and I nodded in agreement. I knew vampires couldn't have children, so I must be a rare case. But there is still the possibility of something happening to me while I was pregnant.

"Is it going to be bad. I mean, will something bad happen?" I asked aloud in wonder to my brother.

"I don't know. I would think it would be a little it more complicated since you're carrying a baby that's part vampire. And since there has been no record of a child being conceived by a human or vampire, so this is really a first for Carlisle. " Edward in a questioning tone, "But don't worry, I know Carlisle will do something to make sure you'll be okay. All that matters now is your safety."

"I'm more worried about the safety of my children. I don't want them to be in constant danger because of who we were and what we do." Oz protested as he walked me out of the bathroom and sat me down on the bed gently, as if I was so fragile now I was carrying two children.

"We'll have Carlisle take a look at her and the babies." Edward reassured him as I rubbed my belly some more. I thought about it, thinking of what was going to happen to them since half of them were human and the other half were vampire. I wished they were going to be okay, and that nothing bad would happen to them at all, it was to the point of wanting to get hurt myself if it meant to save my two unborn children.

But only time will tell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Carlisle did a exam on me just to make sure things were going well with the children. He told me they seem fine to him, but it still didn't seem possible for a human to get pregnant from a vampire. He told me to be extra careful for the rest of the pregnancy.

One problem he had was using the ultrasound, because it wasn't working at all. At first he was concerned, but then realized the amnionic sac is thick and hard as a vampire's skin. So now we couldn't see my children and that started to bother me quite a bit.

Then there was my eating habits, which really changed. As much as I missed eating my favorite foods, I couldn't do it, somehow I would throw up after eating something. Maybe it was my children telling me what they wanted to eat, but I was still unsure what they wanted so then my weight was dropping.

ALice took me shopping in town to get some clothes for the babies. Of course she wanted to spoil them rotten, not listening to my plead for her to get small and simple things. She almost bought the entire store, and Esme was no help either. As my stomach was getting bigger and bigger by the day, I was getting weaker and weaker in the legs.

Of course one day while I was taking a nap I felt one strong kick on the lower left side of my stomach. I cringed and shot up form my bed, clutching my stomach as the kick more like a knife stabbing me. I looked down and rubbed my stomach, which was a lot bigger since I first discovered my pregnancy, which was two weeks ago. Another hit of pain went through again and I gritted my teeth, trying not to scream out. But low and behold Oz, Edward and Carlisle rushing into my room in a flash and I saw Oz go over to my side of the bed, sitting up on the bed and drawing me against his chest so I can lean back.

"Harper, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked as I felt Oz take my hand, which I gripped tightly.

"There's pain in my stomach, and it just started." I said in a worried tone as Carlisle looked over to Edward, who was concentrating on my stomach. Lately I had Edward be my communicator to my unborn children, letting me know what they were thinking.

"Harper, let me lift up your shirt to check your stomach." Carlisle told me as I nodded. He gently ran his fingers on my stomach and stopped at the hem of my shirt, pulling up to bunch up on the top of my stomach. He then gasped aloud and had a horrific look on his face, as well as Edward who looked worse. I looked down and gasped as well. There were at least 6 or seven small bruises all over my stomach, looking green and purple and blue swirled together. They were the size of my fist and all scattered. I felt my heart starting to race as Oz looked as well, looking so sad.

"How did this happen?" I asked aloud in croak as I couldn't feel my breath. Edward's head snapped up at me.

"Harper, calm down. You need to take a deep breath and relax, you're scaring your son." He told me in a rushed tone as I tried to calm down. But I couldn't calm down fast enough, wanting to close my eyes and make this go away. Right, think of my children, think of my son! But I was feeling so alone and sad when suddenly the pain stopped all together, I looked down to see what was wrong and I saw Edward look at me.

"Your daughter was fearing that she was hurting you, so she stopped." He replied in a confused tone. I was still amazed knowing my children knew what I wanted and what I liked.

"Do you think Lily caused the bruises?" Oz asked from behind me. I looked up at him from my spot in his arms, sporting a confused look on my face.

"Lily?" I asked aloud to him. I saw him give me a sheepish smile and then a shrug.

"It was a thought for her name, or Lillith if you want?" Oz asked me in a shrug and I smiled widely. Lily, it was beautiful, plus it the name of my favorite flower. I loved that name, it made her seem unique and special, something I knew would come with my new daughter.

"Lily is perfect." I replied to him in a sweet smile, feeling his hand on my bruised belly rubbing gently and kissing my hair. I felt movement under my fingers in my stomach and I saw Edward smiling for the first time in awhile.

"Apparently she likes it." He replied to me as Carlisle placed my shirt back down over my belly.

"The kicking must of caused the bruises, they're quite strong I believe. But now I think you should eat something Harper." Carlisle told me in a doctor-like tone. I sighed, trying to eat was a obstacle for me since my two little babies were not at all pleased at the food I was trying to eat.

"I've been trying to eat, but these two won't let me keep it down. They don't like anything I eat." I told him in honesty. If it meant I had to eat the most vial thing on earth just to please them then I would.

"I know, and I have a idea." Carlisle replied, reaching into his pocket of his jacket and taking out a small bottle of blood. I gave him an shocked look.

"You've got to be joking." I said aloud as he opened the bottle and handed it to me.

"I fear it must be the only way. Since you cant hold down any human food whatsoever, we'll see if your children can handle blood since they are in fact half vampire." Carlisle explained to me as I eyed the bottle. I knew he was right, since my two little ones were half vampire, they must like blood.

"Ah, it's deer." Oz said, smelling the blood from his spot behind me, holding me and my swollen belly up. I took in a deep breath and drank down the blood in one gulp. At first I thought I was going to be sick form drinking animal blood and I waited for the throwing up to begin, but it didn't. In fact, it taste okay to me, more than okay. It was good for the taste.

"It seems they like it." I said aloud in wonder as I looked down at my belly.

"Good, we'll have you drink this but not on a regular basis , every once in awhile for you to get used to. Hopefully these two will stop kicking so harshly." Carlisle explained as he got up from his spot, "And from the how the pregnancy is progressing, you should stay off your feet until we perform the C-Section."

"I'm not one for sitting in my bed until I give birth to my son and daughter." I muttered, cringing on the thought of being in a bed for more than sleeping. Carlisle chuckled and patted my leg gently.

"I know, you're a reckless girl. I'll get you a wheelchair from the local hospital, so you can move around the house instead of being here." Carlisle reassured me as he got up from his spot and placed his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Let's have her sleep." He told my brother, who simply got up and walked out wit Carlisle following. I sighed and rested my head against Oz's chest. felling his arms go around me and my huge belly. WE stayed in silent for some time, drinking in what was going to happen. I was worried about the safety of my children, hopefully they'll be okay when they're delivered. I smiled, thinking about my little girl's name: Lily. It sounded beautiful when it was used aloud for all to hear.

"So you like Lily as a name?" Oz asked me from behind, resting his cheek in my hair as I nodded my head.

"I love it, what made you think of it?" I asked back in curiosity.

"I knew it was your favorite flower, and the name is already beautiful." Oz replied as he stroked my arm, making me rather sleepy.

"What about our boy? I don't want to name him after Carlise. Because, let's just face it, that wouldn't be a good name for a baby boy" I asked him aloud as he stopped his movements. He laid me back against the headboard with the pillow against my lower back. He sat on my right side at the edge of my bedside, rubbing stomach gently.

"Jack, I thought of Jack." I heard sadness in his voice as he looked distant as well. I stopped his hand on my belly with my own hand, seeing him look up at me with distant eyes. I looked at him with concern as I rested one of my hands on his cheek, feeling the cold temperature being engraved into my hand.

"I love it, but why are you sad to say it?" I asked him in a concerned tone. His hand went on top of my hand that was on my cheek, keeping it there.

"I never told you I had a twin brother myself." He said to me, "And I apologize for not telling you, but it's a bit of a story ." Oz started off and I layed down in my bed, placing my free hand to prop up my head as I got comfortable. Oz smiled slightly and placed both of our hands on my belly, rubbing it soothingly again.

"HIs name was Jack. Apparently he was born two minutes before me, my fraternal twin brother. Since we were toddlers, he protected me from anything and everything that would harm me. We were the best of brothers, always playing and pulling pranks on anyone. We were very close." Oz explained in a lighter tone, but his voice got lower and more depressed as the story went on.

"But then we were told about the Nazis while we were in Germany. It was late June, and we were about to be discovered by some officers. But as we ran from them I knew we would be caught, so Jack became a decoy and had us escape." Oz ended and took in a big breath, stopping his smoothing movement.

"WHat happened?" I asked in a cautious tone.

"He was shot seconds before we were captured. After that happened I never forgave myself for letting him be the decoy, knowing he might of gotten caught. Then, after I was changed by Sarah, the only things I could remember from my previous human life that were so strong, were the memories of my brother. I could remember my mother and father, but the brother's memory was so strong it would haunt me form time to time." Oz replied back to me and I squeezed his hand, hoping he was okay. He smiled at me and pushed the bangs away from my face.

"I was walking with my eyes closed for sixty years, only hearing orders and feeding on animals to survive. I never saw any light as I went day by day, only darkness and pain. But when I met you, I could see my whole world again. Everything was bright, colorful and vivid, all because of you. Something about your smile and your laugh, reminded me of Jack." Oz explained as he looked to my stomach.

"And now I know our son will be strong, wild in spirit and thoughtful, like his mother. I want to name him after one of the people who shed light in my life." Oz told me in a softer tone and I smiled. He didn't deserve such pain, he was too sweet and too loving to get that kind of pain that was so bad it still haunted him. I felt another set of movements under my belly and I moved his hand to feel it.

"Lily." I started, and then shifted his hand to the other side of my belly and he smiled, "And Jack. Our little family."


	28. Lily and Jack

The next week after discussing with Oz our children's names, I was now confined to a wheelchair. Carlisle went out and got me one from the hospital, so instead of being confined to my bed all the time I can move around actually. Carlisle turned the spare guest room into the Delivery Room, getting every single tool he needed to perform the procedure on me without having me go to the hospital and give birth to two half human half vampire children in front of humans. Oz would carry me if there were any stairs, I felt more comfortable being in Oz's arms, feeling his arms around me and being against him made me feel safe.

At first, Rosalie was a bit mad at the situation. I knew she wanted children and it pained her to see me pregnant, but she grew out of that pain and helped me constantly with all of the planning or the nursery and getting the clothes. I asked her to be Lily's Godmother, and Jasper to be Jack's Godfather. Both of them agreed in a heartbeat, making me happy. Out of my family, I trust the both of them with my children, not that I couldn't trust the rest of my family.

We were frequently visited by the Denali clan. Both Tanya and Kate were so interested in my pregnancy, rubbing my belly and trying to listen to see if they could hear anything. Well, that was mostly Tanya, but Kate was interested too, not as much though. Emmett kept taunting me saying I looked like a soccer ball, but I tried to ignore him as much as I could, thinking of not wanting to scare my children with me anger.

One day I was in the kitchen with Jasper, Esme, Oz and Emmett. Alice was going shopping downtown for some more baby clothes, refusing to hear my begging to stop with the shopping. Carlisle took Edward onto their own little hunting trip, wanting to talk to him about how he was still sulking over Bella. It got me so confused, why did he leave her when he was still in love with her?

"Leave him be, it's a confusing time for him." Esme told us as she was fixing me a bottle of blood from her hunt this morning. She saved some blood for me and the twins.

"Edward never gets confused. He's just being stubborn." Emmett replied from sitting on top of the island next to me, fixing a part from his jeep.

"Is he usually that short tempered?" Oz asked in curiosity, helping Emmett with his car part.

"No." The rest of us replied in unison. I smiled after that, funny how we are all in unison. I then felt a stabbing pain in my stomach, but it wasn't a kick. I groaned and clutched my stomach in pain, seeing four pairs of eyes go over to me in a instant. I felt it again, and it was worse and I cried out in pain. Oz ran to me, crouching in front of me and having a horror look on his face.

"Harper, what is it?" He asked in concern as the rest of the vampires in the kitchen ran over to me.

"It's time." I said aloud in gritted teeth. I heard Esme gasp and Jasper taking in a big breath.

"I'll find Carlisle." Emmett said, running out of the kitchen and out of sight. Oz picked me up as another contraction going through my body. I screamed out loud as Oz tried to calm me down, which helped slightly. I felt a wave of calmness go through me as I looked over and saw Jasper stand next to me, looking at me with such concern.

"Get her to the Delivery Room." Esme told Oz as Oz raced me to the Delivery Room. I was placed on the bed as Oz stood by me side.

"It hurts." I said in pain as I felt another contraction coming through, ripping at me and I felt sick again.

"I know honey, but hang in there. Carlisle will be here soon." Oz reassured me and kissed my sweaty head. I felt more at ease with him in the room. Then I could hear Carlisle coming down the hall pestering Esme with questions about me as he entered the room.

"Oh honey, you're going so great." He told me in a smile as he got his things ready. I smiled as he got the tools next to him and he walked over to me.

"We're going to perform the C-Section. Oz, it may get bloody. Do you want to stay here?" Carlisle asked him in concern. I felt Oz squeezed my hand tightly.

"I'm not leaving her." He said to Carlisle in a cold and determined tone, "I should be fine, I went hunting last night."

"Alright, I'll get the curtain ready. Carlisle replied, Esme also coming in and holding a wet cloth in her hand, She placed it over my forehead and I felt ten times better. I saw the blue curtain go up which blocked me from my belly.

"Here Oz." Esme said to Oz, pulling a chair over to him and having him sit next to my head. I saw him sit down as she looked at me, seeing how scared I was.

"Deep breaths Harper." Esme told me in a gentle tone and smile. I took in a deep breath and felt Oz's hand comb through my hair.

"Here's the shot for your acid in your stomach." Carlisle told me as I felt a shot. I wasn't bad when it came to shots, then I felt a needle in my arm.

"There's your IV." Carlisle told me through the curtain. I took in another deep breath as I felt my stomach going numb thanks to the shot. I felt Oz's lips on my forehead as he rested his forehead against mine in our awkward position.

"You ready, daddy?" I asked him in a lighter tone as I looked up, shocked to see I saw some tears coming from his eyes, hitting my skin and sliding down.

"Oz?" I asked in concern as I felt something on the otherside of the curtain. Oz whipped away his tears quickly as he looked at me with a smile.

"Happy tears." He replied as he stroked my hair some more, "I'm ready when you are."

The next few minutes were going by so slow. Oz kept whispering to me, telling me I was doing great and being strong, Esme kept telling me to breathe as I could feel my stomach being moved around quite a bit. I asked Esme where everyone else was, but I could hear Jasper cursing out loud and Alice consoling him. He must of been worried beyond belief.

Then I heard it, a small cry from a baby. I gasped as the sound rang my ears and I could tell Oz was digging his face into my hair just to be safe. I squeezed his hand as hard as I could, hearing the baby cry from the otherside of the curtain. I wanted to see who it was, seeing Esme walk over and disappear behind the curtain. It killed me not being able to see who it was, Lily or Jack. But then Esme walked back over to us and had a bundle in her arms. She was smiling so big as she leaned down to show me my child, my son.

Jack was beyond handsome, he was beyond beautiful. I cried when I saw my son, who was looked at me with huge beautiful eyes, they were so blue they looked like the sea. He had some hair on his head that was dark but it looked bronze to me. I saw him look at me and kept his eyes on me the whole time as I reached out to touch his newborn cheek. He was was a bit warm for a vampire, but he was still beautiful. Esme handed him to Oz, and when Jack was in his father's arms he looked at him with the same determined look as he did to me. Then I heard another cry from behind the curtain and I saw Jack looked over to see what it was. I looked back in front of me and waited for Lily to come around the corner. Esme walked back over to Carlisle and started to coo the crying baby.

Esme came back with another bundle and knelt down next to me so I can see my little girl. She was just as beautiful as Jack, with her bright blue eyes looking at me and a small smile came on her lips. I smiled at her, feeling another tear come down my face as she then looked to my father who was holding Jack. She gave him the same determined look as her brother did, as if trying to register we were their parents.

"They're so calm." Esme said aloud in shock and calm as Lily looked up at her and then back at me. I could feel my heart swelling from just looking at them both, and if I could die now I would be satisfied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After Carlisle finished up with me and got me back in my own bed, he weighed Jack and Lily. Both were healthy babies, Jack weighing in a 7 pounds and 2 ounces and Lily at 7 pounds and 5 ounces. Jack had more red in his hair whereas LIly was more of a brunette like her father. But their hair was a bit wavy and curly, coming from me. While I was resting in my bed, Oz had the rest of the family take turns holding Jack and Lily, who were loving the attention according to Alice. Emmett was scared he was going to drop Lily, so Rosalie showed him how to hold a baby properly. Jasper was a natural holding Jack, seeing him looked at him with a questioning look on his face.

Later that night I was holding Lily in my bed and Oz was holding Jack next to me in the bed. Both of our children were sleeping silently as we held them close. I stroked Lily's face gently with my pinky finger, feeling her stir once in awhile whereas Oz was rocking Jack gently in his strong arms. I feared this was all a dream, not wanting them to be a illusion. But they were here, my own children. I felt so much love flow through me as I held my daughter who was fast asleep wrapped in a pink blanket Alice bought her.

"THey're so beautiful." I whispered aloud, looking over to Jack who was trying to nuzzle into Oz to get his warmth. Oz chuckled and pressed Jack close to his chest, seeing him nuzzle close.

"Just like their mother." He added as he looked over at me and I blushed, looking down at our daughter.

"They have your nose, you know." Oz said aloud as I looked. They both have small pointed noses and I giggled in my spot, hoping I didn't wake them. I looked over at Oz and smiled at him.

"I didn't know you had blue eyes." I told him in wonder and I saw him smile, looking down at our son.

"I got my eyes from my mother." He replied as he then looked at our daughter, who took my pink in her hand and grasped it tightly.

"Carlisle told me while you were asleep they're going to be growing a bit faster than a human baby would. Not twice as fast, but still a bit faster than normal. They have vampire skin, though its warm because of the blood going through them and they do have a heartbeat. He's thinking of having Eleazar come over when they are older to see if they have any gifts." Oz explained to me as I looked at my son in his arms, then my daughter in my own arms. Growing faster? I didn't want that, I wanted them small and to take their time growing. I didn't want to miss any years of innocence and first steps, words and other firsts. I felt Oz's hand on my arm squeezing it gently, as if he was Edward and he read my thoughts.

"I want to seem them grow slow too, but since they're half vampire it'll be a little faster. WE won't miss a whole lot, it'll just be faster." He reassured me as he kissed my cheek and looked at out daughter. I did too, seeing her snuggled warm in her blanket.

"She looks like you." I told Oz in a whisper as he looked at her with amazement, "Has your hair and cheeks."

"How can you even tell if she has my cheeks?" he asked in laughter and I laughed too, but we then suddenly stopped when we saw Lily stirring and she went back still again. Oz smiled my and kiss me on the lips.

"We are one unique family." he mumured against my lips and kissed me one more time. I smiled, couldn't agree more.


	29. Close Call and A Final Decision

November came to us in a instant and we saw Lily and Jack become a month old. I instantly saw how much they looked like both Oz and myself. Jack sported red hair that was ruffled and soft like his father's style, whereas Lily was more of a brunette with wild and wavy hair like mine. Both of their eyes were crystal blue, wide and filled with joy and laughter, with freckles lightly on their vampire thick skin. Carlisle was right, they were growing real fast, too fast for me to handle. By now they were walking gracefully and have grown into full toddler mode.

Lily's hair was now down to her shoulder blades, fully wavy and beautiful brown that would shine in the sun. Jack on the other hand with his bronze hair, sported short in the same manner as his father's hair.

They were also very protective with each other, never leaving each other's side. I could tell they loved each other more than life, playing together, eating at the same rate and time and falling asleep at the same time. Though we playfully tease them on occasion, one would stick up for the other.

Esme got them into eating human food. At first I knew they were going to rebel since they were so used to blood, but she found a way to at first mixing blood into their milk and gradually placed less and less until they could eat human food on their own accord. Though Oz does take them out hunting, along with the rest of the family. I was scared they would want human blood more, but they seemed to adapt to animal blood.

I loved being around them every second of the day. They loved playing with me, laughing at the faces I would make them and if I was ever sad they tried to cheer me up. It gave me joy when I first heard them called me "mommy". Their voices were like angels to my ears, making me want to hear those voices again. Then they started to speak in sentences after a week or two of single words.

The both of them loved to play with their Aunts and Uncles, along with their grandparents. Alice, whenever I wasn't looking, would take Lily shopping with her and was going to teach her young how to shop. I groaned at the thought of that. But for Jack, he would play with Emmett everyday, wrestling out on the front lawn or running around in the forest. SOmetimes Jasper would join in, but he was more the sensitive Uncle, reading to them once in awhile and making faces to have them giggled in their bell tone laughs.

One day Oz wanted to take us out on a walk just as a family, our normal routine. It was a nice and foggy day for us to go on our little walk. Alice got Lily in a nice yellow sundress and Jack in some blue overalls, knowing how much they loved to play and get dirty. I remembered seeing Alice's face when Lily came into the home covered in dirt in her new dress Alice got her.

Lily ran in front of Oz as Oz chased her, hearing both of them laugh as they ran around the trees in the forest. Jack was tired that day so i carried him. He wrapped his arms around my neck as I held him close. Compared to his sister he seemed more determined and quiet.

"Catch me daddy!" I heard Lily say in a laugh as she tried to run away from her father in a giggle. I heard Oz laugh as well as he played along. I looked at my son in my arms who was watching his sister and father.

"Mommy?" He asked suddenly, his voice like bells in my ears.

"Yes Jack-Jack?" I asked him, giving him his nickname he likes to hear. He looked up at me with his big blue eyes.

"Why does Uncle Edward not wanna play with me or Lil?" He asked in a soft tone. I sighed and rubbed his hair gently. He's been trying to play with his uncle, but Edward would walk off and sulk on his own, the pain of Bella was still killing him.

"Does he not love me?" He asked me again in a sad tone and I squeezed him gently.

"Of course he loves you Jack. Uncle Edward just shows it in a different way than the rest of us. You know how Emmett loves to wrestle and play with you?" I asked him and he nodded his head.

"Well Edward doesn't show his love through play, he shows it through protection." I explained as he nodded his head. He looked back at Lily, who was scooped up by Oz and tickled. I heard her laugh in excitement.

"Like how daddy is with us sometimes?" Jack asked me in curiosity. I smiled and nodded his head.

"Just like daddy." I replied, looking at Oz and smiling. It made my heart soar when I saw him play with our daughter, like falling in love all over again. I then saw him stop in his tracks, shifting Lily in his arms so he was holding her protectively. His face looked serious as he sniffed the air.

"What's that smell daddy?" I heard Lily asked in wonder as she sniffed the air too. I felt Jack move around in my arms, sniffing the air and looking scared.

"Harper, take the children back to the house." Oz told me as he walked over to me and placed Lily down on the ground. Lily took some of the jeans in her hand, staying close to my side and looking scared.

"Honey, what's wrong?" I asked him as he looked at Jack to see if he was okay.

"It's bear and it's bigger than anyone I've ever seen. I can handle it, but I don't want Jack or Lily to see or be near here." Oz told me as he looked over at me, "Get them back to the house as soon as you can. When you get there, tell Emmett to come out and help me bring it----"

"Daddy!" I heard Lily cry from my side and Oz whirled around, seeing a large brown bear in front of us on its hind legs. I pushed Lily behind me and held jack close to me as I heard Oz growl at the bear, who roared back. But as soon as he was about to strike on Oz, I saw something extraordinary happen. There was a large visible shield around our family, blocking the bear from us. It was a deep shade of blue, fuzzing like a television feed and see through so we can see the bear on the other side, trying to break it. When the bear would touch the shield there was a electricity kind of sound, making the bear back off. The bear then ran off in the opposite direction, disappearing into the forest. The shield then disappeared and Oz looked at me in shock. We immediately looked to Lily, who was just as confused as us. Lily looked up to her brother in my arms, who was blinking now in a feverish rate.

"Jack-Jack saved daddy!" Lily said in a squeal of excitement as I looked down at my son. He was rubbing his eyes now and looked uncomfortable.

"Jack, did you do that honey?" I asked him in a soft tone as Oz approached him. Jack looked at his father with sad eyes, holding out his arms, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"He was going to hurt daddy." He replied as Oz took him in his arms, Jack instantly nuzzling into his father's arms. Oz looked at me in shock and cuddled his son close.

"Let's call Eleazar." I told him as I picked up Lily. Oz nodded in agreement, I hope our son was alright.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Force fields, how odd." Eleazar said as he looked at Jack. Jack was still in his father's arms whereas Lily was being held by Esme, who was standing next to Rosalie, Emmett and Carlisle. I stood by Oz and held his free hand as Eleazar looked at our son with intense eyes. Carmen was here as well, standing next to her husband. The rest of the Denali Clan went out hunting that day.

"Do you think it's from his nature of being protective?" Oz asked him in concern as Jack rested his head against his father's chest, about to fall asleep.

"I think he must of inherited it form your own nature. I know how protective you are of your young and loved one." Eleazar explained as I pushed some of Jack's hair out of his eyes, that were drooping slowly.

"Of course, it is usual for a son to inherit the the emotions of his father." Carmen said in a smile as she walked over gracefully to Jack. I looked over to my daughter and saw her play with Esme's hair.

"And what of Lily?" I asked aloud to Eleazar. He looked behind him to Lily and alked over slowly. Lily cocked her head to the side as she saw Eleazar approach her. She tightened her hold on her grandmother and I saw Esme hush her.

"Harper, can you make your daughter laugh for me?" Eleazar asked me as he kept his eyes on Lily. I was about to say something when I heard Emmett say something under his breath and Rosalie smacked his head. Lily instantly laughed her bell tone of a voice. The lights in the room brightened in the same rhythm as her laughter, as if she controlled the electricity through her laughter. She then stopped and the lights went back to normal. Everyone looked at her in wonder as she smiled, looking at me. I smileda t her and saw her giggle.

"She can manipulate electricity through her emotions." Eleazar explained, "At first she may manipulate it, but later on in life she could control it."

"It explains her vibrant personality." Carlisle replied as I walked over to my daughter and took her from Esme.

"Did Uncle Emmett make you laugh." I asked her in a laugh and she giggled as she looked at me. Oz smiled from his spot behind me, holding a new sleepy Jack in his arms. After our visit with Carmen and Eleazar, Oz and I placed Jack and Lily in thier beds in the nursery.

THe nursery itself was rather big for twins. The walls were painted blue with black , along with a white changing station and dresser. Their beds had blue quilts on them and were on opposite sides of the room. Jack's side was filled with sporty things and ation figures, thanks to Emmett. Lily's side was more filled with stuffed animals and porcelin dolls. On their beds were the stuffed animals they've both grown to love. Lily's was a elephant and Jack's was a blue whale. I placed Lily in her bed, seeing her red hair sprawl out on the pillow as she snuggled into her bed, clutching her elephant. I pulled the quilt over her body as I felt two cool arms around me. I smiled and leaned back, feeling a kiss on my neck from Oz. I turned in his arms, seeing him smile at me as I kissed him for the first time that day. We held the kiss for a good long time and I could feel the rollercoaster in my stomach go again. He pulled away and I rested my head on his chest, feeling his arms wrap around me.

"Are you happy?" he asked me, as if I wasn't happy at all. I was more than happy, I had a beautiful boy to hold every night and two beautiful children to call my own. I smiled at him and held one of his hands in mine, feeling his cold temperature contrast with my warmth.

"Yes I am. Are you?" I asked him, playing with his fingers in my grasp. I saw him look down at me and slowly, crouch down till he was on his knee. I lost my breath as he pulled out a ring from his back pocket. It was beautiful just to look at it. There were diamonds around the band in the middle at the top was a large blue diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds. I felt him take my hand gently and smile at me.

"I will be a happy soul if you'll marry me. It's been 10 months, 10 glorious months tht I have been with you, but it felt like I have known you for eternity. You've made me as happy as I ever, and I don't want to be anywhere else but next to you for all eternity. Harper Anne Cullen, will you marry me?" He finally asked me to marry him! I smiled so big I thought I would break my jaw as I nodded my head, feeling tears come down my face. He placed the ring on my finger, how it fit perfectly on my finger as he got up to hodl my face in his hands.

"Harper?" He asked in concern. I shook my head and smiled at him.

"Happy tears Oz." I told him and I saw him smile, kissing me lovingly and i felt him hold me close to him. I didn't want to be anywhere else but there in his arms.

I felt my life was just beginning


	30. My One Last Breath

"Finally! I thought it would take forever for you two to get engaged! I saw it coming by a mile, I did!" Alice squealed in excitement as I sat with her and the rest of the family in the living room, drinking some coffee. Oz took the children out to hunt that morning as soon as they woke up, knowing fully I was going to be bombarded with Alice and her pestering about the wedding. I told him to make a run for it with the children, knowing Alice was going to go overboard.

"Alice, let her breathe." Rosalie said aloud, giving me a wink as Alice sat down next to me on the couch. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun behind me as I looked to my family.

"I'm very happy for the both of you." Carlisle said to me from his spot in his chair. I smiled at him, feeling better about the situation.

"Thank you dad, it means a lot to me. I know the decisions I have made in the past might of dissapointed you..." I trailed off thinking of how Oz and I made love, how I got pregnant. It felt bad for even doing them, though I know it made me a stronger person now. I just wanted to do things in the right order, now I had it all backwards.

"Of course not Harper, how could you think that? You are a very mature young women who has followed through with every decision that you have made, and that's all we ask." Esme said to me in a honest tone as I looked at all of my family members with a somber look. They all looked happy, but Edward was still loking sad and depressed. He kept his eyes down to the floor.

"Can I plan the wedding, oh please oh please oh please?!" Alice asked me in a pleading tone and I laughed, nodding my head, "But can we try to make it as simple as humanly possible?" I asked her in a hoenst tone. She nodded and shot up, running out of the room with a smile on her face. She came back a second later with a notepad and a pen in hand, sitting next to me and clicking the pen.

"Now, what do you want, decoration wise?" Alice asked in a speedy tone. I smiled.

"We already thought of white liles and roses as our flowers." I told her aloud, seeing her write in a fast pace.

"I can help with that." Rosalie told me in a smile and I felt my heart expand, knowing Rosalie was going to help.

"Great! Rosalie I'll put you on flower detail, how about food wise?" Alice asked, and I saw Esme perk up from the sound of food.

"I want Esme to make the food. It's too expensive to hire a catering company when ther're going to be few of us anyways." I said, seeinf Esme smile brightly.

"So food and flowers is already taken care of. How about the tuxes for Oz and Jack and the boys?" Alice asked me.

"I'll go with Oz and handle that matter." Jasper offered.

"And guest list?" Alice asked again, writing down the new information on her notepad at vampire speed.

"I can set up a list for you and Oz to go over." Carlisle told me in a smile.

"This is soo good so far, and what about---"

"Can't you all see this is a bad idea?!" Edward practically yelled aloud from his spot on the couch next to Rosalie. His hands were ablls os fists and I saw rage in his eyes. We all started at him in shock and I was getting angry myself.

"Edward." Esme said in a shocked tone, "How is this a bad idea?"

"You don't get it do you? You really want her to be one of us, a monster?!" He asked in rage, rising up from his spot and staring at all of his family members in fury. I shot up as well.

"It's my own choice! I want to be a vampire just like my parents, my siblings, my husband and my children! I've made this decision long ago and I'm not changing it." I told him as my voice was rising.

"It's eternal damnation and you want that?!" Edward yelled at me back, taking a step torwards me. Emmett got up from next to Edward and was about to place a hand on him.

"Just because you can't get over the fact that you still love Bella and won't change her does not mean you can tell me what I can and cannot do with my own life!" I barked at him, hitting that nerve hard. I saw rage in his face as he ran over to me in a flash and grabbed my throat. I felt all of my air leaving me as I heard Esme scream and Carlisle shotting up from his chair.

"Edward! Let go of your sister!" He yelled in rage as Emmett grabbed Edward harshly and attempted to yank him away. I felt my head getting dizzy and my strength going away, but my eyes were on Edward. I never saw him this angry or mad at me, but this was too far. He wasn't my brother anymore, he was monster he was talking about me becoming. I felt tears going down my face as I saw him looking at without any anger anymore, but with fear. He then let me go, seeing me fall to the ground and gasping for air. Emmett pulled him far away from me as Alice wrapped her arms around me close to her. I was still fumed at Edward as I got up form Alice, eyeing Edward who was now looking at me with sadness. I breathed in deeply and instantly walked out of the room and out to the garage.

"Harper! Wait!" I heard Edward cry out as I ran into the grarage, fishing ouy my keys and getting into my car. I started the car and pulled out, driving onto the highway at a speed higher than the speed limit. I didn't care, Edward just tried ot choke me. I kenw Edward, and that was not him at all. He was angry, filled with fear and rage. I cried as I drove, knowing I stung Edward by mentioning Bella.

I turned sharply on the road when I suddenly saw something in my back mirror, I looked behind me for once second, then looked forward and felt something hard and big hit the side of my car, pushing me off the highway road. I felt myself falling with the car into the wildnerness below, but before I did hit anything, everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There were mumurs going on around me, and something smelled foreign to me. I felt like I was in a dream like kind of place, where everything was hazy and odd to feel. I wanted to hold Oz, my two children and my family close to me again. I heard a monitor beeping so slowly next to me on my right and I heard mummers on my left.

"Doctors said she might not make it." I heard my father's voice say in a grave tone. I saw some fuzzy light above me and a figure on my right and one of my left. Someone was holding my hand, and it was a cold touch. Another was on my head, cooling me down. But I felt very dazed and light headed.

"She's lost about 45 percent of her blood, and if she looses anymore she could die of blood loss. Most of it came form her neck, where the bar was injected in when she was in the accident, but also from her right thigh and chest." _Who's voice was that? Was that the doctor's voice?_ I could hear my mother crying and someone else gasp. _What was going on?_

"Doctor, could you leave us a moment for us to say goodbye to her?" _Oh no! I can't die, not now! What about Oz and our wedding? What about Lily and Jack_. Those three were the only three people in this world that made it worth living. I wanted to tell them no, let me live. I heard the door opening and closing and then my father walking over to me. Somehow I could see a fuzzy outline of him as he looked at me.

"We need to change her now. Oz, she's your fiance, you should change her." I heard my father say. I felt relief that they weren't going to let me die, but I waited for Oz, the other blurry figure on my right side. I saw him shake his head.

"I can't, I'll kill her by just biting her. It'l be too much for me. Carlisle, you're her father, you need to change your daughter." I heard him say in a broken tone. I wanted to reach out and hug him close, tell im its alright. I saw Carlisle looked back at me and I saw him lean close to me.

"I love you harper." I heard him tell me in a whisper and then he bit me. I breathed in one last time before blackness consumed me.

This was what I wanted, this was my life now.


	31. I Feel Brand New Again

At first it felt like I was floating in thin air, as if I wasn't on the ground anymore. I could see flashbacks of images in my head, form the day I was born to when I gave birth to Jack and Lily. It felt pleasent for a short amount of time.

Then the burning came. It was terrible pain. From the core of my body to the tips of my fingers and toes, I felt it scorch me all over like I was literally engulfed in flames. I could hear myself screaming, begging for it to stop and to leave me alone.

I wanted my parents close to me, telling me it was okay. I wanted all of my siblings to be there with me telling me I was strong and I can make it through it. I wanted Oz, to hold me and tell me he loved me. And lastly, I wanted my two children to kiss me and let me know they were okay.

The pain was worse, making me feel like I was in pain for eternity. Minutes seem like days and days felt like years. I didn't want to feel this anymore, the pain was killing me on the inside. My toes curled in pain, my fingers twitched in angony and my face moved back and forth screaming out and yelling fot mercy to come. If there was a God I begged for him to come and take away this pain and suffering.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I woke up in my old bedroom. I remember waking up and seeing everything in almost digital vision. I could see the dust in the air, the particles in the paint on my wall and ceiling and the individual fan blades of the fan, though it was moving so fast. I could hear everything too, like Alice and Jasper talking in their room, which was three rooms down from my own room! And I heard Carlisle talking to Emmett in the kitchen on the first floor. Everything was so new to me, so new.

I heard something next to me and I looked over, seeing Oz. He was staring out the window with his arms crossed. He looked tired and scared at the same time. I lifted up my hand, but when I did I saw I was even more pale than ever. My hand looked like it belonged to a porcelin doll, very fragile and faire. I lifted up my other hand and compared, seein the same kind of faireness and beauty in my hands.

I saw Oz look over at me with a big smile on his face. I coule then see how gold his eyes were, the curves of his face and almost every hair on his head. He walked over in a brisk pace and reach out to me, letting me see in detail his fingers and arm. He touched me in a instant and I jerked away, suddenly seeing myself against the wall opposite of Oz. I was crouched down low and eyeing him as if he the going to kill me.

But as soon as I saw the sadness in his eyes, I stood up slowly and relaxed a bit in my stance. I saw him looked at me and I fell in love with him all over again. It never felt better seeing him after going through that pain I had to deal with. He walked over slowly and held out his arms to me.

"I missed you." He simpled said, his voice sounding more beautiful than before. I smiled for the first time, feeling every muscle in my mouth move as I smile. I walked over in a graceful manner and hugged him softly. I felt his arms wrap around me and I was ready for the coolness of his skin. But it wasn't cold anymore, he was now farely warm to me. I was shocked when I felt how warm he was now, as if he had a normal temperature. I pulled away from him and saw him smile at me, as if we haven't seen each other in years.

"How do you feel?" He asked me in a curious tone. I thought about it and felt good, real good. I felt lighter than ever, and since I could see and hear everything going on around me, I felt confused and bothered at the same time.

"Good." As soon as those words came from my mouth, heard bell tones of a voice. I gasped, did that come from me? I looked over to my mirror and walked over in a floating like manner and looking in the mirror, seeing who it was on the otherside.

My skin was now even paler than ever, though I could still see some freckles on my skin. I looked like a porcelin doll, very fragile but beautiful, too beautiful for it to be me. My red hair was even more red, a bit darker than before and was thicker. It came to my shoulder blades now, longer than before and it had ringlets torwards the ends of my hair. My eyes were bloodshot red, wide and filled with confusion and fear. My lips were full now and a little bigger than before.

Overall I didn't think it was me in the mirror, all I saw was a model in my palce. But I touched my cheek with my hand just to see if I was real, and in fact I was! I head Oz chuckle beside me as I looked over to him, still shocked. He walked to me and took my hand in his.

"I'm so glad you're alright. When you were transforming, it was the worst week of my life." A week?! I was in that pain for a solid week?! I gasped and looked down at our joined hands, feeling his warmth coincide wih mine.

"Where's Jack and Lily?" I asked him in concern, thier faces suddenly came into mind. I looked back to him hoping to hear something good. I miss my babies so much, they helping me through the pain the last week.

"They're fine, they're with Esme right now out in the back. They were so worried about their mother." Oz told me, touching my cheek. I felt the warmth surround me suddenly when he touched me. I wanted to see them so bad, but I then smelled something. It smelled good to me, really good. I sniffed in the air and sighed in content.

"What is that smell?" I asked in a smile, loving what I was smelling. But I saw Oz look at me with shock.

"That is your son and daughter." I cringed, trying not to breathe anymore. But they smelled so good, I coudn't do that to them anymore. I got suddenly scared, knowing now I could se a threat to them both now. The last thing I wanted to be was a threat, the very last thing. But my throat was starting to burn from wanting to drink blood.

"Come, let's go hunting." Oz said to me, squeezing my hand gently. I nodded in agreement as we walked over to the large bedroom window. He opened it for us and looked back to me with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him. He then launched himself out the window, going high in the air and then landing on the ground perfectly on his feet. He whirled around and looked up at me. I then saw it was snowing outside, the pure white snowflakes falling around the area in the white snow on the ground. I saw the particular structure of each snowflake as it fell.

"Come on!" He said aloud to me, holding out his hand. I was scared to go, what if I fall on my face? What if I hit something on the way down? I took in a small breath and then jumped out the window as well. It felt like I was flying through the air. I then landed on my feet as well gracefully. The crunch of the snow filled my ears as I smiled at my success and saw Oz walked over to me.

"Shall we?" He asked in a smirk and I smirked back. We both broke out into a run into the forest. I loved running now, I was ten times faster then before, maybe even more. The trees were going back in a blur as we dodged the trees and rocks with ease. The snow flew by us, crunching below our feet and the snowflakes danced onto our faces. We were now deep in the forest now and we stopped in a small open spot amongst the trees.

"Now, tell me what you smell." Oz said to me and I close my eyes. I could smell the pines in the trees, the snow on the ground and the moisture in the air. But faintly I smelled blood, and my throat was now on fire. I opened up my eyes again.

"Blood." I replied in a simple tone.

"Good, in what direction?" he asked me as he watched me. I sniffed the air some more.

"West, about 2 miles." I replied, looking back at him as if he was the teacher and I was taking a test. He only smiled and nodded his head.

"Excellent. Now let your instincts take over, drive yourself to get to that source of blood." He instructed me. I nodded and let the blood fill my nostrils. It smelled rather good, not as good as my children which made me cringe, but it was still good. I then broke into a run and Oz followed suite. I followed the scent as if it was the life of me. My throat burned, my craving was getting fierce.

Then I saw it, a deer was running from us. I could hear its heartbeat and the blood running through its veins. I smiled and ran for it, seeing run in front of me. But I knew I was faster, way faster. It felt like a game we were playing, who was going to get it first. But it was obvious, I was going to win.

Snapping it's neck and feasting on its blood was like heaven, finally cooling my throat of its burning sensation. I liked the taste, though it seemed dull to me. But I was no satisfied with my throat and my hunger. I pulled away from the dead deer and whipped my mouth, only to find I was covered in blood. But I looked over at Oz who having his own deer, drinking it down and not getting one drop on his clothes! It wasn't fair! I stood up completely and looked up at the trees around us. I could see every pine in the tress, very snowflake that fell, the fog amongst the trees and I could heard a river about 3 miles away.

"You okay now?" I heard Oz ask, looking over my shoulder to see him walking over to me and smiling.

"Yes, I feel much better now." I replied back to him and looking back at my bloody clothing. I heard Oz chuckle.

"Don't worry love, you'll be better as you go along." He replied to me as I looked bak at him. I then thought of my children, wanting to see them both and hold them. Being away for a week and going through pain made me want to see them now and fast. I could then see a clear picture of them both, playing in the living room with Emmett and Rosalie, and I smiled.

"Harper?" Oz asked me as I opened my eyes to him.

"Were they playing with Rosalie and Emmett?" I asked him in wonder. He looked at me in shock and nodded his head slowly.

"Yes.....how do you know where they are?" He asked me and I shrugged. I just thought of them, then seeing a clear image of them playing in the living room with their Aunt and Uncle.

"Can you tell me where Jasper is?" Oz asked in curiosity. I closed my eyes and thought of my brother. I miss him too, hearing his voice and feeling the calmness wash over me. I then saw him with Alice in their room, talking about something.

"He's in his room with Alice." I replied, opening my eyes and saw his jaw dropped.

"Harper....I think you're gift is tracking." Oz said to me in shock. I got confused, I can track people?

"Like James did?" I asked in a croak, but Oz shook his head.

"No James did it through scent, you did it through your head." He explained to me as I suddenly realized it.

"When I think of someone, I can find out where they are." I said aloud, repeating my thoughts aloud for him to hear and he nodded his head.

"No wonder, I never got lost as a child. I somehow always knew where I was." I said aloud in a surprising tone. But before I could say something I smelled another scent. It caught me off guard and I looked around to see where it was coming from. It smelled good, real good to me. I cringed, knowing this wasn't good.

"Oz, can we leave now?" I croaked out and smelled it again, ten times bigger. I felt his hands on my arms pulling me back sharply. I looked back at him and saw him stare ay me with stern eyes.

"You need to control your urge. Try and ignore it, we'll get home soon. Come on." He told me in a stern tone, grabbing my hand and we ran away from the scent. I knew it was human and that it smelled like heaven on earth, but I didn't want to drink it, I wanted to be like my family and drink from animals.

We ran through the forest and dodged the trees and rocks as if it was child's play. I could tell the scent was farther away now as we reached the house again. We slowed to a halt and I smiled, being able to see my house again made me happy.

"We should change you in something without blood on it. I don't want to scare our children." He told me and I giggled, thinking about how my children would react to me in my bloody clothes. BUt before we did anything else we saw the door opening and Esme and Carlisle walking out to see us. Carlisle's and was on Esme's back as she was clutching a shopping bag in one of her hands. They both were smiling and I felt Oz take my hand in his while we watched him. It felt good to see my parents again, it made my heart swell.

"Hello honey." Esme replied to me and my smile was bigger than before. I gracefully walked over to her and gave her a hug. It felt good to be held by my mother again, and now she was warmer than ever, same with Carlisle who hugged me after Esme.

"Thank you." I whispered to my dad as I pulled away from him. He smiled at me and he pushed some of my red hair from my eyes.

"Still a beautiful as ever," He only replied as I looked back to Oz. He walked up to me and took my hand again.

"Well your children are waiting for you in the living room. I brought you some clothes to change into." Esme replied, taking out a plain black shirt and some jeans from the bag in her hand.

"Did Alice see you get these?" I asked Esme aloud in wonder. She giggled in her spot.

"Yes and she is rather mad. But I told her you would cooperate in the future on her dressing you up." Esme told me and I cringed, already seeing how Alice was going to dress me up. Oz chuckled next to me as I looked back at the house.

"Where is Edward? I can't..." I trailed off, searching for him in my mind. I thought of him, but he wasn't in the house.

"You won't find him inside, I know you're trying to." Carlisle voice brought me back to reality as I looked at him. Does he already know what I can do?

"Alice told us about your ability, she saw you tracking in the future." Esme explained as I smirked. I had to thank Alice when I see her next. But I still thought of Edward. I wanted to see him again and hold him as my brother again. I searched for him in my mind, but all I saw around him was wilderness. 30 miles due north and he looked so depressed.

"He left us after he saw you in the hospital, hasn't been home since." Carlisle replied, looking a bit sad about it. I felt even worse.

"He thinks it's his fault for you to die." Esme said aloud as I shot a shocked look at them both.

"No! It couldn't of been his fault. I should of known better than to drive while I was angry--" I started.

"But he drove you to be angry. His anger in turn made you angry. He ran off as soon as he heard you crashed in the ridge and we never heard from him." Carlisle cut me off as I felt a reassuring squeeze from Oz, "Give him time to collect his thoughts and I assure you he'll come back."

"I hope he does, I miss him." I replied aloud as Esme handed me the bag.

"Change in the garage, your son and daughter are waiting very patiently for you." She told me in a smile and my smile came back. My children, oh how I wanted to be with them.

"I'll see you inside." I heard Oz whisper in my ear as he kissed my cheek and left for the house with Carlisle and Esme. I smiled widely as I went to the garage and changed quickly. I rearranged my hair and made sure my clothes looked good.

I walked into the kitchen slowly, hearing the distant voices of my family. I could heard Rosalie's voice, still beautiful as ever, Emmett's laugh that was more of a boom than a laugh and my children's voices. I smiled, walking over to the hallway and peered over slightly to see what they were doing.

"But daddy, when will momma come?" I heard Jack ask in a whine. I heard Oz chuckle.

"Your mother will be here soon, have patience." I heard him reply in a soft tone and then Lily was giggling. I smiled and walked around the corner. There was my family, all looking to me with smiles on their faces. Rosalie and Emmett were on the couch hand in hand, Jasper and Alice were standing behind them, Carlisle was in his chair, leaving Esme and Oz on the floor with Jack and Lily. My eyes went to my children, who were looking at me with wide eyes. They haven't changed one bit since I last saw them both. Lily was in Oz's lap and Jack was near Esme. I smiled brightly.

"Momma!" I heard Lily yell in joy as she got up from her father's lap and ran over to me. I laughed as I crouched down and hugged my daughter close. Her scent was very appealing to me, but I was already full from the hunt earlier. Her red hair tickled my face as she pulled away.

"Hello Lily, I miss you." I told her as I pinched her cheek and saw her giggle. She looked at me then with serious eyes. She placed both of her hands on my cheeks, and her hands were rather warm, too warm for a vampire. I knew it was the blood rushing through her veins.

"Momma, you're very pretty!" She replied in a grin and I saw Jack race over to me as well. His bronze hair was still styled just like his fathers hair.

"Mommy was always pretty." Jack said in a happy tone as I hugged him as well.

"Well said Jack." I heard Oz reply as he walked to me and out children.

"Where were you momma?" Lily asked me as she cocked her head to the side, something she inherited from her father. I tried to think of a good way to tell her, but Jasper beat me to it.

"Your mother was very sick." Jasper replied from his spot next to Alice. I looked over Lily's shoulder and mouthed thank you to him, seeing him smile.

"And she needed to go away for awhile so she wouldn't get you or your brother sick." Oz added in as he wrapped his arms around Jack from behind.

"Grandpa Carlisle could of made you all better." Jack said in protest and I smiled at him.

"She needed to see a special doctor." Carlisle replied from his chair, "I tried to help your mother but it was out of my hands."

"But I'm here now, aren't I? And I won't be leaving you two." I told both Lily and Jack, seeing them smile at me. I then felt Lily tug on my hand.

"Come on momma! Come and look what Aunty Alice and Aunty Rosalie gave me!" Lily said in excitement as she pulled me to the stairs. I saw Oz and Jack following me as I was pulled by my daughter.

I couldn't help but smile as we moved along as a family. I love my new life so far.


	32. Im Sorry

December came to our home in a blink of a eye, the snow constantly falling all around us. Emmett got a enormous tree for Christmas, Lily and Jack helping Esme and Rosalie with decorating of course. I was so glad to be back home with my children, husband-to-be, and family. But Edward was hardly around to celebrate, he was still torn from what happened between us and with Bella.

There was one moment when I was holding a sleeping Lily in my arms in the living room. She was putting on ornaments on the tree and fell asleep on the couch. I smiled from seeing her red hair all over the pillow as I picked her up. Her arms immediately went around my neck and her head rested under my chin in my collarbone area. She felt warm against me and her scent was still good to me, but I was still working on control.

I was walking around the tree still holding Lily in my arms as I heard someone coming into the living room. I looked behind me and saw it was Edward. It was standing in a uncomfortable stance, looking at me with his head down and hands in his pockets. I could see he was trying to find the words to say as he stared at me, as if looking at me for the first time.

"Hello." he replied in a shaky tone. I smiled at him and felt Lily stirring in my arms. Edward looked at Lily and I saw his eyes widen.

"Hello Edward." I replied, his eyes shooting back to me and I saw him take a step forward.

"Harper, I wanted to talk to you about what happened." Edward started but I took a step to him.

"You don't need to explain. I know you wanted to protect me and that you wanted me to have a full and happy life, but I am happy now. I'm with my loving and supporting family, I have two healthy and beautiful children and I'm going to get married, I don't need anything else in life." I explained to him as softly as I can, knowing I could wake up Lily and start another fight between me and my brother.

"Are you sure about that?" Edward asked me cautiously as I tightened my hold on my daughter. He held up his hands in defense as if thinking I was going to kill him for coming near me and my daughter.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt her or you." Edward replied in a defensive tone as he eyed my daughter.

"She's beautiful, looking just like you." He added as he walked over to me and I smiled, feeling our awkward silence slipping away. It felt like the incident never happened as he smiled at my daughter.

"She misses you, you know." I told him as he played with some of her hair in his fingertips. He paused for a second and his smiled dimmed a bit.

"Lily and Jack miss their Uncle Edward." I added in at the last part.

"I missed them too, just needed some time to get my thoughts together." He told me in a honest tone. I then I felt Lily stir in my arms and look up at her Uncle with a glazed look of sleep in her bright blue eyes.

"Hi Uncle Edward." She replied in a sleepy tone as her head lifted up from my chest and neck. Edward smiled for the first time in months.

"Hi Lily. Did you have a nice sleep?" He asked in a polite tone as Lily rubbed her eyes.

"I was making the tree look pretty for Christmas, I helped Grandma and Aunty Rosalie. Where did you go Uncle Edward? You never want to play with me or Jack Jack anymore, did we make you mad?" Lily asked all of that at the same time. I was going to hush her but Edward only smiled.

"I can never be mad at you or your brother. I just needed some alone time to think about some things, and I missed you, your brother, your mommy and daddy very much." Edward explained to her in a softer tone. LIiy nodded with a serious look on her face, making me smile. I was thankful for having my family be supportive of my children and explain to them in simple language.

"Will you play with us tomorrow?" Lily asked in a wondering tone to her Uncle, and I saw Edward smile a bit.

"Of course." He replied and I saw a huge smile on Lily's face light up. But she yawned a second later, keeping her eyes on Edward.

"Will you read me a bedtime story?" She asked in a sleepy tone as Edward looked to me with permission. I nodded my head and saw Lily reach out her hands to him. Edward carefully took Lily from me and held her close to his chest. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest, smiling sheepishly and yawning one more time. Edward walked over to the stairs and looked back at me one more time.

"I'll come back down when I'm done putting her to sleep." He said aloud to me, rearranging his hold on Lily. I nodded my head and saw him walk up the stairs with my daughter. Right after he left my sight I saw Oz walk into the living room with a worn out look on his face. I giggled as I walked over to him, kissing him once on the lips.

"Aww, someone looks tired." I teased and he smiled.

"Alice has been hammering me with wedding questions all day. Didn't we want a small wedding?" He asked me and I sighed, I knew Alice was going to go all out for a wedding.

"We do, but you know Alice. She'll try to make it as extravagant as possible. I'll talk to her about it." I reassured him and kissed him on the cheek. We both walked over to the Christmas tree and looked at it, seeing all of the decorations and ornaments that seemed to expensive to be on our home.

"This will be my first real christmas." Oz whispered in my ear as I smiled brightly.

"The first of many to come." I replied back to him, feeling his hold on me tighten.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Christmas came and went, following by New Years. All of Christmas Day was spent with opening the billions of presents that the children alone got, and half of them were from Alice. She splurged them with toys fit of princes and princesses form royal descending families. Though Emmett did get them both Power-Wheels and Jasper gave them a box of books and they picked out each book.

My big gift was another car, since the one I had was now ruined because of the accident, but it was Edward who bought me another car that was the same model and color. Esme got me a large canvas with a stand and new paint brushes, Carlisle got me some art books to look at and to inspire me, Alice got me some more clothes to fit into my new vampire lifestyle, which Rosalie pitched in with of course, Jasper got me a new barrette and Emmett got me some new sneakers, knowing I will wear them out within weeks of wearing them.

But the best gift was a bracelet from Oz, Lily and Jack. It was a Tiffany bracelet of sterling silver. There were five small charms around the sides, dangling and sparkling in the light. One charm was a crescent moon, another was a heart, the third was a the sun, the forth was a star and the fifth was a horseshoe. Oz told me Lily and Jack picked out each of the charms with his help. I thought it was the best gift I ever received in my life.

Right after New Years I got a phone call from Emily. She was on her Winter Break from USC and she wanted to come and visit us in Alaska. Her grandparents were in Juneau and she wanted to stop by and say hello. At first I was a bit scared on what to tell her. First there was obviously my new appearance, being pale and even more beautiful than ever. Second, there was my two children, how am I going to tell her I gave birth to twins? She would think of me being off my rocker and going insane.

Carlisle discussed it with me, telling me to go with the story that the twins will be adopted by our family, and we are taking care of them until the papers are finalized.

"I hope she still wants to be my friend." I replied as I held Jack in my arms. Oz stood on my right and Carlisle with Esme on my left, Esme holding Lily in her arms. We were outside the house on the front steps, snow still falling lightly. Oz took the children hunting early in the morning, whereas I went right before Emily's arrival with Carlisle and Esme. The rest of my family decided to go "camping" and let me have my time with my old friend.

"I'm sure she'll understand." Carlisle told me as we watched for her car to pull up. I saw a green jeep pull into out driveway. I smiled as I saw the outline of her glasses on her face as she stopped in front of our house.

"Carlisle." I said aloud, seeing my father come over and take Jack from my arms into his.

"Now remember Jack and Lily, behave." I heard Oz tell our children as I saw Emily get out of the car. She looked even more tan than before, her hair was lighter and thicker and her trademark thick glasses.

"Harper!" I heard her yell in joy as she ran up to me and hugged me. I laughed out loud and hugged her back, it felt good to see an old friend again that was human. I breathed in her scent and it became appealing to me as I pulled away from her, but I kept my smile on my face. I saw Carlisle eyeing me from his spot just inc ase something were to happen.

"Oh my goodness you gave to come to California, you HAVE to! The boys there are amazingly gorgeous, the sky is clear blue and there is sun, actual sun!" She said aloud in a giggle and I laughed with her, so glad to hear her fast talking. Emily then looked over to my parents.

"Oh, hi Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." She replied in a nervous laugh and I saw my parents smile.

"Hello Emily. It's very nice to see you again." Esme replied to Emily. Emily smiled and then looked over at Oz.

"Emily, I hope you remember Oz." I told her as Oz smiled at her..

"Nice to see you again Oz." Emily said to him and Oz nodded his head. She looked back at me, "So I remember you telling me on the phone you had something to ask of me?"

"Oh of course! I was wondering if you could by chance keep the 28th of May open for something very important." I started out to her and I saw her cocking her eyebrow.

"It's for our wedding." I ended. Emily then squealed in delight and hugged me one more time. She pulled away and looked at me and Oz.

"Oh yay!! I'm so excited for you two!! What should I wear?" She asked me in a squeal.

"Well you're going to have to fit in a bridesmaid dress." I said in a smirk and she squealed once more and clapped her hands.

"Oh thank you thank you!" She replied. She then turned her eyes to Jack in Oz's arms and cocked her head to the side.

"Hello buddy, what's your name?" She asked in a happy tone, walking over to Jack and smiling at him. I saw Jack hide his head in Oz's neck. Oz chuckled.

"He's just a shy little boy, but a nice one, right buddy?" Oz asked him as he looked down at our son. Jack looked back up first at his father with worried eyes then at Emily with a small smile.

"My name is Jack, what's your name?" he asked in a polite tone, making me smile. I knew for a fact he got that from his father.

"My name is Emily, it's nice to meet you." Emily said to him, holding out her hand. Jack, cautiously shook her hand and giggled.

"That is what I was going to tell you next, you see....we are going to adopt both Jack and Lily." I told her in a softer tone. But instead of squeals and laughter, I got a bit of a shocked tone, I knew it was coming.

"Wow....really? I mean...it's not like I don't think you two could do it, because I seriously think you can! It's just....out of the blue is all." She stammered, trying to find the right words to say. I knew she was telling the truth on how shocked she was.

"It's alright Emily. Carlisle actually had connections with the Adoption Agency here in Alaska and heard about Lily and Jack needing adoption. Their parents were killed by a bear right after they were born. So we decided to adopt them, after seeing them and finding how wonderful they are. The agency is letting us have them stay at our home to get accustom while the filing and papers are being final." Oz explained smoothly to Emily, who was nodding her head with a smile. She looked over at Lily, who like her brother, was hiding from her. But she was hiding her face in Esme's curls, sometimes peering through her hair.

"They are really cute, and I think it is a great thing you guys are doing." Emily finally said in a smile and I sighed in relief. The rest of the visit went without a hitch. Emily played with Jack and Lily in their rooms while I watched in awe. It still amazed me on how I already had two children. She told me she'll be with her grandparents in Juneau for another week and later left after a hour of makeup playing with LIly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

THree nights later there was a thunderstorm coming and the family wanted to play baseball out in a clearing Emmett found while they were on their camping trip. I wanted to go and play, but then again I didn't want to take the children. They were still young and the might get hurt since they were half human. I told Oz I would stay behind and watch the children, but he insisted I should go and play with my family for the first time. I then had a thought: Emily could watch them.

"I don't know hun." Oz said in a dreary tone as we got on our baseball jerseys and gear. I tied by long red hair back in a tight pony tail with my bangs hanging down and got a hat on to cover my hair. I sighed and ruffled my husband's hair gently.

"The kids love Emily, and we're only going to be gone for two hours. Emmett took them out hunting today so they're well fed." I reassured him and took his hand in mine, "They'll be fine, I can keep a tracker tab on them while we play if that makes you feel better."

"It does slightly, but it just doesn't feel right leaving without the kids." Oz said in a honest and broken tone. I nodded my head and rested my forehead against his, breathing him in and smiling loving his scent.

"I know my love, I don't want to leave them for one minute. But I know they'll be safe here." I told him, holding his hands and bringing them in between us and pressing them both to our chests. It was odd not to feel my heartbeat anymore, but I was used to it now.

"Come on you two! We should head out while it's still light!" Alice replied in a giggled as she walked over to us in her gear. I smiled and pulled Oz along to the living room. I saw Emily playing dolls with Lily and Jack, who was clutching his action figure. The three of them looked over at us and my children smiled widely.

"We'll only be gone for about two hours. Esme made them some dinner which is in the fridge and if we're not back by 9:00 then they know to go to bed." I told Emily as I walked over and placed a kiss on Jack's head, them Lily's head.

"Sure thing. Hey Lily wants to watch Mary Poppins, is that okay?" She asked me and I nodded my head.

"Lily and Jack, you be good for Emily." Oz said from his spot behind me and gave his children kisses as well.

"We will daddy." Jack said to him in a proud tone and I smiled. We both then walk over to our family who were waiting by the front door. As we walked out and to the cars, I squeezed Oz's hand in mine.

"Hang in there daddy, only two hours." I told him and kissed his cheek. He smiled at me and got in my car. Our cares went away as we drove out to play.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PLaying baseball with my family was even more fun than watching. I finally knew how much fun it was when I was launching myself in the air and catching the ball as if it was a feather. I loved running out to get the ball and launching it back to home base. Even hitting the ball was a event for me, seeing how far it went in the sky. It felt nice to be around my family again which no cares in the world.

I tracked Jack and Lily every once in awhile. The first time they were in the kitchen eating some dinner with Emily, who was making them laugh. Second time was of the three of them watching Mary Poppins. The last time was of Emily putting them to bed and seeing them sleeping silently in their bed. I smiled from the last tab and looked back in the game.

"She's out! I know it!" Emmett tried to protest a tag when I was at third base and sliding in. But I knew I was safe and Esme did too and Emmett just threw up his hands and laughed. I smiled and saw Oz looked over at me from the outfield next to Edward, giving me a silent request to check our children one last time. I sighed and closed my eyes, thinking of my two children.

_I saw them, asleep in theirs beds. I smiled and then searched for Emily to see where she was. She was reading a book in the living room, looking very involved in the novel. I was about to go back to reality when something caught my tab, someone flashed by. I squinted and concentrated harder, trying to see who it was near out home. I went back to my children, seeing them in their beds and then something in the window. I looked harder, seeing two red eyes looking through their window. I gasped and saw who it was._

I fell to my knees and clutched the ground, trying to gain control but i couldn't. I saw everyone rushing around me and Oz's hands were holding me close. I looked up at him and felt tears in my eyes. I tried to find my voice, but it came out in a quiver.

"It's Jakub, he's at our house. He wants Jack and Lily."


	33. No Mercy

Oz's facial features went into rage as he bolted back towards the house in speed I never thought he harnessed. I followed suit, catching up with him and running in fear. Why would Jakub be back? How did he know where we were? Why did he want my children? I heard the rest of the family follow us through the forest.

"Carlisle's calling Emily right now." I heard Rosalie say behind me as I was ran even faster, fighting to get back to my two children in time. If he was going to lay a finger on them I would kill him.

I saw our house within minutes, and I ran with Oz through the front door, followed by the rest of the family. We stopped at the entry way and I sniffed the air, along with the others. I could smell Emily's scent, and my children's but I then smelled his stench everywhere. I growled and looked behind me.

"Alice and Rosalie, find Emily and get her to the basement." I hear Esme tell my sister as I saw Oz run up the stairs, I followed closely behind. We were about to go down the hallway when I heard Jack scream. My stomach dropped as horror spread across my face.

"Jack!" Oz yelled and ran down the hallway to the nursery. I followed him and we ripped the door open.

Jack had a shield over his sister, who pressed herself against the wall with her elephant clenched in her hands. Jakub was trying to get through the force field by scratching and growling in a murderous rage. I heard Oz growl loudly and launched himself at Jakub, knocking him down and making the room shake. Jack's shield around Lily went down and he ran over to me. I hugged him close as I saw Lily run over as well, both having tears in their eyes. I saw Oz ram Jakub against the wall, making the shelves fall to the ground.

"How dare you try to hurt my children!" Oz yelled at him in rage. I hid the children away from the sight, but saw Jakub eyeing me and a grin on his face. I growled at him, feeling a gush of wind against me and Emmett now standing next to Oz, clutching his throat. Emmett was angry beyond his limit, sharing the same face of fury with Oz.

"Like you two can hurt me." Jakub growled, placing both of his hands on both of their chests, pushing back and having them launching into the opposite wall. The sound of their bodies hitting the wall sounded like thunder. I gasped, wanting to kill him even more for hurting my family.

"Daddy! Uncle Emmett!" Lily said in fear as she saw her father and Uncle get launched into the wall. I saw Jakub look at me with the children and I shoved them behind me. I crouched down low and showed my teeth.

"Leave Mommy alone!" I heard Lily cry out in anger as I was about to strike when a flash of light went through the room and Jakub flew back through the window and down onto the ground on the 1st floor. I was at first shocked but looked back and saw Lily's hands out in front of her beside me, as if trying to shield me. I saw her place her hands down and look up at me. I knew she did it, her anger fueling in a lightning bolt to Jakub. But I looked back at Esme who was behind me the entire time.

"Take them to your room and keep them there." I told her and saw her nod. Esme scooped up Jack and Jasper took Lily in his arms, both running to Esme and Carlisle's room. I looked back in front of me, seeing Emmett and Oz already up and walking over to the hole in the wall where the window used to be. I walked over as well and looked down, seeing Jakub still on the floor on the lawn, trying to get up slowly. I wanted him tear him apart, leave him to suffer for even coming near my children and harming my soon to be husband and brother.

"He gets no mercy." I growled out, seeing Emmett and Oz looked at me. I looked back at them and saw Emmett nod his head once, jumping out and landing with a thud on the lawn. Oz looked as pissed off as me and he jumped off as well, landing next to Emmett. I saw them both yank Jakub up from the ground and take both of his arms, holding him out as if he was being crucified. I jumped and landed right in front of him, seeing him finally look up at me with blood red eyed like mine.

"You come into our home. You try to touch my two children and you harm my brother and the love of my life..." I trailed off in a angry tone, seeing him eye me and then a small smirk appeared on his face.

"You think you can kill me--" But i cut him off my grabbing his hair and yanking it back, hearing something crack in his neck and I heard him scream in pain. I smirked at him.

"SInce you showed no mercy to who you killed, I'll show you none." I told him in a growl as I jumped up, landing both of my feet on Oz's and Emmett's shoulders and placing both of my hands on his face. I last saw the horror in his eyes as I ripped off his head, seeing his body going limp. I jumped off the shoulders and landed on my feet, throwing the head onto the limped body and looked back to the house, trying to register what I did. I felt like a murderer now, knowing I just killed another being. I felt Oz wrap his arms around me and hold me close. I pressed my face into his chest.

"I'll start the fire." Emmett told us both and ran back to the house to get the supplies. Oz ushered me away from the body as I held him close, not wanting to let him go.

"Easy, easy love. It's all over now." He whispered to me as I breathed him in. I was still stunned on how I killed another vampire, how strong I was, and mostly, how angry I was. But I wasn't going to have him take away the three most wonderful people in my life then harm my family. I heard Emmett bringing back some wood and a lighter from the house, starting the fire and hearing the flames come alive. I looked over and saw the pile of firewood and the remains of Jakub, burning in the fire and making the flame bigger than ever. It was now the size of the house. Both Oz and myself watched the flame roar as the rest of my family, minus Carlisle came out to look at the flames. Esme, holding Jack and Rosalie, holding Lily walked over and I took Jack gently from Esme's arms. I buried my head in his hair, breathing in the scent of my son and feeling whole again. I saw Oz hold Lily close next to me.

"Carlisle took Emily home in Juneau." Esme told me and rubbed my back to soothe me. I nodded me head and saw Jack look at me in worry.

"Did he hurt you mommy?" He asked me in his angelic tone. I shook my head and held him closer.

"You were very brave for protecting your sister Jack Jack, I'm very proud of you." I told him in a serious tone as I stroked his hair while he looked at the fire.

"You're just like your father." I heard Rosalie add in from next to Emmett and I looked over to her in a smile, my hold on my son tightening a bit.

"Now for the matter of the Voultri. Do you suppose they'll know about this?" Alice asked aloud, looking to our father.

"Not unless the Vivaldi's come and realize what has happened to their member, then report to them. I wonder why his clan did not come with him or stop him?" Edward replied, looking at the fire with a serious look on his face. I bit my lip, though I have not met the Voultri just yet, I knew who they were through many stories from my family. They were the last vampires I would want to meet in this world.

"Do you think they know about Jack and Lily?" Emmett asked aloud in wonder and I cringed, hoping they won't know.

"I rather doubt it, since the only vampires to know of their existence is our family and the Denalis." Esme replied back to my brother as I felt a hand on my forearm. I looked and saw it was Oz, coming close to me and wrapping his open arm around me, kissing my hair and holding our family close to him. We watched the fire die down slowly and by the time the fire was done and all there was left was ashes in a pile, Jack and Lily were asleep in our arms.

Oz and I placed our children back in bed and I rubbed my thick hair with my fingers, trying to recollect what just happened. I heard Oz sigh aloud as he tucked in Lily and walked over to me. He still seemed out of it from Jakub coming near our children. I took his hand, but he showed nothing back.

"How did he know where we were?" He asked aloud in a concerned tone. I placed one of my hands on his face and felt the warmth in his cheeks.

"I don't know, but I know we came just in time before they harmed the kids." I reassured him and I tried to console him, but he was still agitated.

"He could of killed Jack and Lily." he protested.

"Yes, but Jack knew something was wrong with him and he stopped him from hurting himself or Lily." I told him as we walked out of the room and into the hallway. I closed the door and saw Oz a bit fuming.

"Oz, we couldn't have known he was going to be here. Even Alice told me he wasn't in her line of vision. We can't blame ourselves for leaving them here." I said in a softer tone to him and ran my fingers through his hair. I saw him ease up a bit and I smiled, never liking to see him in a negative state.

"I just wished for a safe life for our children. I didn't want this to happen." He said as if he was in defeat. I sighed and took his hand, both of us walking towards our bedroom.

"Every parent wants that for their children, but we're not a typical family and somehow we both knew about this, that something or someone would try to harm our children." I explained to him as we walked into our bedroom and I turned on the lights. We both sat down on the bed and I rubbed his back soothingly, feeling his muscles move under my knuckles. He then looked over at me and I saw how sad his eyes were.

"What do you see in me?" He asked suddenly and I gave him a questioning look.

"I brought danger into your world, and I almost had our children hurt." He said in a sad tone and I sighed. I knew he felt at fault for the near encounter with Jakub and me being kidnapped when I was a human. I placed my hand back on his cheek to have him turn to me.

"I don't think you get how much I love you. You make me see the world through different eyes and you have so much unconditional love that you give me. I see a man who loves his family, a wonderful musician who pours his soul in his music, and someone who would put his own life at risk for those he loves." I told him in a stern tone, seeing his eyes pour into mine. I smiled at him, hoping he would understand what I was talking about when I said those words.

"Don't you think for one second you are bringing harm to our family, don't you dare. I know for a fact you wouldn't let anything come near me or the children. Your children love you so much, and I love you too." I explained in a softer tone, seeing him nod his head and let out a sigh.

"You, Jack and Lily are all I have now." He simply replied and I shook my head.

"That's not true, you have my family, our family. Esme and Carlisle love you so much, Alice and Rosalie adore you, and you know how much Jasper, Edward and Emmett see you as a brother. Plus you have the Denali clan as well to look out for you. I know you've been in the dark for some years, but think of the here and now." I reassured him and took both of his hands in mine. He smiled and I kissed him slowly. After I pulled away, I felt a arm wrap around me and pull me close to him.

"I love you, and it hurts me to see you like this." I replied to him as I moved some hair from his eyes.

"I know, I love you too." He replied to me and kissed my head. I felt more at ease with him in our bedroom.

"What do you think of a house of our own?" He asked me in a questioning tone. I smiled and looked up at him in a shrug.

"It sounds nice, but we should wait until after the wedding, so we won't break Alice's heart." I replied and Oz chuckled in response. I did want a house with him, nice and small for our family to grow in. I could picture us in a dollhouse kind of home.

"Someplace with a yard." I said aloud in a grin.

"A big yard, with lots of room to run." Oz added as I looked at him, seeing a smile on his face now, "And with a view of the sea."

"With a porch that could wrap around the house, so we can sit and watch the sun rise and then set." I said in a bigger smile, seeing our dream home now. I could picture playing in the large yard with Lily and Jack, also sitting on the porch with Oz and watching the sea in front of us go with the wind. I giggled from the thought and I felt Oz's hand brush my cheek gently. I instantly saw a flashback. The first one was of Jack and Lily's birth, right after the C Section. The second was of me at the nursery door, watching Oz read Peter Pan to Jack and Lily on Jack's bed, then the last one was another vision of the future, of our wedding. Me in a sundress and Oz in a tux, both looking so happy.

I smiled as I came back to reality, seeing him smile as well. I knew the future was going to be bright with my fiance and my children. Hopefully things will now look up.

Hopefully......


	34. Oz's POV

*Oz's POV*

Looking back I would never want to change one thing. As the snow fell from the January sky onto our home in Alaska, I felt more at ease with my new family, soon to be wife and my two children. At first when I was first turned, I never thought my life would be worth living, that was until I saw Harper.

Traveling the past 60 years with my previous clan I was never happy. ONly on rare occasions I was happy because of my loving and caring clan sister Sarah. She was the only who showed me love and compassion, since she was the one who changed me and saved me from my human death in Auschwitz camp. I knew Rose wanted to see me as Sarah's mate when I was first brought to the clan, but I only saw her as my sister and loyal friend.

I saw Stephen as a younger brother, though he was older than me by twenty years. Though we are not as close as we should be, I still hold Stephen to my heart. Rose was never a mother to me, only a female version of Mason. She showed no love to me nor my other clan siblings, though they didn't mind at all. Then lastly, there was Jakub. If there was one soul in this world who made me want to kill, it had to be him. We never saw things eye to eye, he saw humans as toys where as I saw them as other lost souls. He would relapse constantly on human blood, knowing he was going to put our family at risk of exposure.

But I saw my whole world change when I was wondering through Forks, Washington in the deep forest, hoping to find something to hold on to. Since I was banned from my old clan for saving a human woman and child, I felt as if I couldn't belong to any family or clan for the rest of eternity. Who would want to take me in? I was a menace to society, someone who was created to kill and only to kill. But then I remembered that fatal moment when everything changed. It all started with me crossing a scent that floored me, made me so weak and made me addicted. All I did was look up at a open window of nearby house in Forks and saw a wave of red hair flowing through the wind.

I could see her eyes looking at me, big emerald orbs seeing if I was truly real. Her pain skin could almost glow in the foggy day and her freckles danced on her arms and face. But it was her red hair that was flowing in the wind that caught me off guard. Her hair gave away the scent that drove me to utter most insanity. It felt like I was hit by a truck with that scent, it drove me mad, made me shake in want and need to drink that blood. I knew I had to get away, not wanting to harm her or come close to her. I ran off and hid away from the world, knowing I was too damn weak to be near her and not kill her.

After that day I couldn't stay away, needing to breathe in her scent more and more, almost as if she was my drug. I looked for her whenever she would leave the house, hoping she was safe. Why did I want her safe? I didn't know at the time, but it then came to me. I was drawn to her now, not wanting her to leave my sight and wanted to hear her voice. Later one afternoon I was hunting on my own for something to eat to ease this obsession with her scent when I heard a heartbeat close by, but it wasn't a animal heartbeat, it was human. I followed the sound and saw it was non other than my singer, walking through the forest with a camera in hand. She was taking pictures of nature and I couldn't help but smile, seeing her bright eyes look at the forest in wonder. But another scent came through, not as strong as hers but I knew it too well: mountain lion.

I saved her from her near death, not wanting her to die and not wanting her to loose that scent. It was the first time I knew I had to put myself in front of a human, not since the incident with Jakub that I was way too involved with a human life. I come to realize later she was out cold on the forest floor as the day went by while I killed off the lion with such rage and anger. It was as if I was punishing the lion for even trying to touch my singer.

I discovered her on the forest floor that night, cold as ever and shivering. I so badly wanted to tell her who I was and what a effect she had on me, but I knew I was risking my existence if I did tell her. So I only walked up slowly, smelling her ever powerful scent that was now a whirlwind. I touched her forehead near her blood, trying to gain my control and not kill her within seconds I felt how warm she was when I pressed my fingers to her forehead, how calm she was. Did she know who I was?

I remember her just looking at me as if she saw a God coming down to earth. I so badly wanted to tell her who I was, but I knew it was a risk of my kind. But before I could say anymore than I already did, I heard voices in the distance and ran off, knowing the owners of those voices knew that girl, my singer. I hid in darkness and watched to find her rescuers, shocked to see they were vampires as well! They held her close and ran off as if she was a vampire herself, but they were so careful not to touch her in a wrong place or to kill her. It confused me so, seeing two vampires handle a human with such delicacy and love.

Some time later I was ambushed by a few vampires, who were vegetarian like myself! At first I was startled by this discovery, wondering how so many vampires live together, but I recognized the bigger one later to be called Emmett, who helped my singer when she was hurt. The leader, or Carlisle, explained to me who they were and offered their assistance to me is I needed any help. I only told them I meant no harm into coming into their territory and that I needed to find a new location. He offered his home for me to stay in until I figured out on where to go. I didn't want to be rude to him so I agreed to go with him and his family to their home.

I met Harper Anne Cullen that very day, my singer and new friend. She looked thankful to have met me and for me saving her in the forest. I knew I wanted to get to know her more, feeling more drawn to her than with anyone else in the world. I told her about me, seeing how see listened so intently to my story.

I found her interesting, colorful and bold. She grew up around vampires which explained why she was not at all afraid of me. She explained that she was adopted by Carlisle and his wife Esme when she was only a baby, so she was loved and cared her by her family. Although I almost killed her with my ability of Psychometry, but she was more intrigued by it instead of scared. From then on I was hooked on her and everything about her. Her smile would kill me when she would smile at me, her eyes reminded me of the forest and her voice sounded like a angel to me. I knew I was put danger in her life and my existence being with Harper, but I didn't care, I was falling hard for her.

I became over protective of her at times, but I knew I had to lay off because that was the job of her three brothers, not mine. I loved her company, hearing her laugh made me smile even brighter than before. I knew I loved her when I saw her wake up from her sleep one morning. I was sitting next to her on her bed, seeing the rare sun coming in through the window and onto my cold skin, making me sparkle. I saw my skin shine in the light and then seeing her wake up from her slumber. Her red hair was sprawled out around her on her pillow as her face was facing me, her green eyes looking up at me and her smile coming through. I then knew it: I loved her.

I then stayed by her side whenever I could. Her family even took kindness to me when I decided to stay with them for some time. I saw then as the clan or family I never had. They loved me, taught me anything and everything I wanted to know, took care in me and protected me from Harper and myself whenever I lost control. When James and his clan came in as a threat to my Harper and Edward's girlfriend Bella Swan, I knew I had to do whatever it took to protect Harper from dying. I wanted to take her away from James, keeping him away from her and hold her close to me, wishing she was going to stay alive from him. Even with the Jakub incident and Harper being kidnapped, I was going to do anything to protect her. I loved her too much to see her die in front of me.

When I heard Harper was pregnant with my children, I was too filled with happiness and joy. Having children with the one I loved was something I've always wanted to do, but was way to afraid to because of the dangers of vampires. At first I was scared if my children would be harmed as they grew up, being targets by unknown foes and enemies who wanted to harm them because of who their father was. But I remembered the small boy I saved from Jakub, seeing his eyes look at me so many years ago and I knew i wanted to have these children and protect them. Then there was Harper and her safety. I knew it was going to be hard, but knowing Harper and her stubbornness , she would want the children and keep then safe as well.

Jack and Lily were, and still are, the two most beautiful beings in the world, other than their mother of course. They made other children look plain and dull with their beauty, and I could see so much brightness in their eyes from their mother. Jack was more like me, very loving and protecting of his wild sister who was like her mother, so colorful and bright. THose two made me smile even more than before. I loved their voice and laughter, how they hold innocence dear, but mostly how devoted they are to each other as siblings.

And now as I look out onto our slow covered backyard, seeing Emmett and Jasper play with their nephew Jack and chasing him around the backyard. I smiled from hearing my son squeal in delight as Emmett scooped him up and tickled him. Then I saw Edward with Lily, making a snowman with her near the house and placing a scarf around the neck. Lily giggled from their masterpiece and poked the holes in for the eyes.

I felt arms wrap around me and I smiled feeling the small arms hold me close to a cool body behind me. I turned in those arms and saw my lover and soon to be wife behind me, still having her arms around my middle. Her eyes were now morphing from the red they were before to gold, the mixture made her even more intising. Her red hair was darker now since her change, thicker and longer to her back. Her freckles were lighter now on her vampire skin and her features were even more beautiful. But I loved her when she was human, she was already beautiful to me. She stole my heart the moment I saw her wake up from her slumber.

"Everything alright my love?" She asked me, her voice rang like bells in my head. I smiled and gave her a sweet kiss, feeling more at ease. I saw her pull away and I pulled her into my arms, knowing I didn't want to be anywhere else. We watched as our children played with their uncles, the snow falling on us lightly. I felt more alive than ever, never wanting to loose this feeling.

I felt hope for the first time in my life.


	35. Oh God No!

It was finally February in Alaska, and it was going fast for our family to grasp. The memory of me killing Jakub kept flashing in my mind as I would go on with my day, seeing flashing images of the horrible scene in my mind. At first I thought it would go away, but I was constantly haunted by his death.

Jasper tried to ease my mood with calm and peace, but I knew I was still going to see Jakub's death in my mind, haunting me and reminding me that I took a life. I tried to occupy my self with my children and Oz as well, playing with them and teaching them as well. Edward started to teach Jack how to play piano whereas Lily wanted to play violin.

Lily and Jack were now physically 7 years old, growing some inches and their hair getting longer. But thanks to Esme and her haircutting skills, she kept the hair tame for my liking. They also became more intelligent as they physically aged. THey spoke more like 10 year olds, and also speaking as if they were from another age and time. I blame Edward for that.

Valentine's day was a interesting day in our household. Emmett and Rosalie went off on their own little adventure in the woods, renting out their own cabin far away from us to hear what they were going to be up to. Jasper and Alice had their own picnic near the river not too far from our home, Carlisle and Esme enjoyed each other's company at the house. But I was sad for Edward, who thought that this day should be nothing more than a day of torture. I knew he was thinking of Bella, hoping she was living a normal human life. He wanted that for me, but I chose to be with my husband and my two children, who knew what Bella wanted. But Lily and Jack, being so young and innocent as they were, made Edward their own valentines day cards, with their child-like handwriting and drawing a piano on their cards. Edward loved those cards and kept them in his room on his desk ever since he got them.

Oz took me out that night, leaving the children with Esme and Carlisle who were going to watch a movie while the children slept. We ate dinner at the most expensive diner in Juneau, then going out into a clearing in the forest and watching the stars over us. Cheesy I know, but there was no other place I would be. I felt like I was on cloud nine as we held each other and watched the stars in the black sky. I felt more at peace with Oz than ever before.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

March rolled around and I was keeping tabs on Bella behind Edward's back. I knew I had to shield him from my mind whenever I knew he was close by. I would sing songs in my head or think of random things, but I was lying to him and keeping Bella in my head. I wanted to make sure she was alright and that she was at least happy. But it was difficult to cope with. For one, I never tracked as far down to Forks than ever before, so my concentration was off every time I tracked her. But then I saw her, moping around and looking so sad and depressed about life. Quil was right, she was walking like a zombie. BUt every once in awhile I saw her with Jacob Black and she only seemed genuinely happy when she was with him. I wanted to go to her and tell what was happening, but knowing Edward and his stubborn side, I had to keep it from him.

I sat on my bed with my eyes close, tracking Bella once again. It was March 16th and Oz took the children hunting without me. Nowadays Edward went off on his own track Victoria, one of the nomads who went after me and Bella months before when I was a human. He was determined to find her, and it led him way down t Mexico and South America. Though I desperately wanted to see Oz and the children hunt and be with them, I knew I had to find Bella and keep a eye on her. I scanned the forest in Washington and felt a headache coming on from going too far south, but I had to push it to see her. I saw Forks and scanned over the border, looking for Charlie Swan's house. I saw the house but Bella was nowhere to be scene. I concentrated harder this time, finding a trait of her in La Push....

"What did you see?!" I shot my head up and saw Alice storming into my room and slamming the door shut, making me literally jump from my spot. She glided over to me in fast rate and had a horror look in her eye. I gulped and saw her look at me.

"What are you---"

"No, you need to tell me what you saw! I saw Bella, but I need to know what you're seeing right now!" Alice said in a frantic tone and I quickly nodded, closing my eyes again. I pushed my way down to La Push, seeing the sea and the cliffs. I remembered the day I was out there and then kidnapped by Sam and the rest of his gang. I saw someone out along a ledge and I pressed forward, seeing brown flowing hair in the wind and arms out as if the person was going to surrender. I gasped and shot me eyes open at Alice.

"Oh god." I said aloud in horror as another person burst through the door, but this time it was Edward. He was in rage and was looking at me in anger, his eyes wide and his hands at his sides making fists.

"Damn you!' He roared and charge at me. I shot up from my bed and stood at the side whereas Edward was opposite of me.

"How could you! I told you to leave her alone!" He yelled in rage at me as I saw Alice back away from us both.

"I just wanted to keep an eye on her in case something were to happen. You weren't the only one that was close to Bella!" I yelled back to him as I felt my own anger rising.

"I wanted her to have a normal life, away from us and our world! You think I liked leaving her there alone?!" He asked in a rising tone as I saw Emmett and Jasper coming into the room with concerned looks on their faces.

"I know you still love Bella, and since no one else here is going to care about her and her well being I volunteered myself. All I wanted to do Edward was see if she was having a normal life without us, without you!" I screamed back, seeing him taking back a bit and I saw Emmett take a step forward.

"Edward, Harper, keep your voices down will ya? Lily, Jack and Oz just came back and I don't wanna scare them." Emmett told us as I close my eyes and concentrated on Bella again. I heard a intake of breath.

"Harper, don't you dare--"

"Edward, she's just trying to help!"

"By what Alice, torturing me with the thoughts of Bella going through her head?!"

"Let's be reasonable here--"

"There's nothing to be reasonable about, Jasper! She went against my wishes by tracking behind my back, when I told her no to! Damnit, she's not even listening !" There voices were in my head as I saw Bella again, along the ledge of the cliff, holding her hands out and having a small smile on her lips. She then jumped and my eyes shot open, feeling something bad go into my stomach. All I heard was a intake of breath when four pairs of eyes went on me. I fell to my knees and shook my head over and over again. _No, she couldn't of done that! Why would she?_ I saw Edward lean down in front of me and take my arms in his massive hands, seeing me with concerned eyes.

"Harper? I'm sorry for yelling at you, it was uncalled for and inappropriate--"

"Bella." I said aloud in a hoarse whisper and he stopped, now looking at me with determination. I looked up at him finally, seeing his golden eyes back at me and I took in a deep human breath.

"She jumped."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Edward called Bella's home, but all he got was a voice saying Charlie was at a funeral. He froze from hearing that and then left the second he could. He didn't tell me where he was going but he just took off, leaving us all in shock. I felt a hole forming in my stomach as I thought of Bella jumping off the cliff and Edward suddenly leaving after a phone call from her father. I tried to figure it out but it all suddenly clicked. He heard from Rosalie that Bella was dead and he suddenly took off.

I paced back and forth, trying to find Edward in my head. I knew he was going to be mad for tracking him in my mind, but I didn't care. He was my brother and I'll be damned if he was going to do something stupid. I knew he wasn't far, seeing a airport now in my mind. It was the Alaska Airport off the tip of Alaska, and he was standing in a terminal. He looked so sad and heartbroken as I heard something on the intercom:

"Nonstop flight to Rome Italy, now boarding 1st class."

_Oh no, oh god no! He couldn't, could he_. I shot my eyes open and felt a panic attack going underway. I ran over to the hallway and fell to me knees, hoping it wasn't true at all. He cant do it, he can do this to me and the family!

"Alice!" I screamed, knowing she saw it too. I had to save him, I had to.


	36. Fallen Puzzle Pieces

Alice left immediately to get to Bella as I ket my tab on Edward. Once I saw her jump from the cliff and Rosalie told Edward she was dead, I knew things were going to spin out of control. But Alice had me check again and I saw her getting rescued by Jacob Black. He carried her out of water and I felt a sigh so through my lips. She was alive! I was so relieved to see she wasn't dead, but I knew Edward was already on his way and there was no stopping him.

Edward called and heard Charlie was at a funeral, something I knew drove him to go to Italy and beg the Voultri to kill himself. Alice told me no to worry as she went off to Forks. I remembered seeing her go into Carlisle's car and driving off in a fast rate. If I had any tears left to shed in my dead body, I was be crying by now.

I tried to track Edward, but he was way too far for me to handle. I saw him over the Atlantic Ocean when I almost passed out from too much energy pouring out of me onto him. I fell but was caught by Oz, who picked me up in his strong arms and rocked me as I felt more pain in my dead heart and soul. I missed him, I wanted him safe back here and I wanted this whole mess to end.

"Easy now love, easy. He'll be back." Oz whispered in my hair as I felt him carry me to my bed and placed me on the bed gently. He laid down next to me and held me close in his arms as we watched the sky out my open window, seeing it dim and go into night. I held him close to me as I closed my eyes and thought of what was going on.

I thought of Edward, how he was going to the other side of the world to kill himself over his long lost love. I thought of Alice, who was going back to Forks to see Bella. I thought of my children, on how they were growing up in a dark world of immortality and fear.

"Momma?" I heard Jack's voice ring through our room. I looked up from my spot over Oz's body to see two small figures at the doorway. Jack and Lily held each other's hand, looking so sad and depressed. I smiled weakly at them as they walked over and crawled onto the bed. Jack went into Oz's arms whereas Lily went into mine, I could hear her heartbeat was fast and urgent and she looked so scared.

"Honey, what's wrong?" I asked her as I stroked her hair. She looked up at me, her blue eyes were wide and filled with tears.

"We had a nightmare momma." Lily told me in a blubbering tone as I saw some tears coming down her porcelain cheeks.

"We saw that mean man who tried to hurt me and Lily." I cringed, they were dreaming of Jakub. I saw Oz from the corner of my eye try to calm down Jack as Lily nuzzled into my chest, hearing her fast heartbeat.

"Tell us a story daddy." LIly whined in a plead and I smiled slightly, looking over at Oz and saw him look at me. He smiled and looked down at our son who as in his arms and was holding his father close.

_"Once upon a time, there was a knight who was part of a great kingdom for some years, he was surrounded by powerful knights and ladies, receiving everything he wanted and needed in his life. But this knight was not happy, he was missing something in his life. Until one day when he fought with another knight over hurting two peasants. The knight was then banished from his kingdom, left to wander the world alone for the next three or so years._

_The knight wandered in the woods for many years. He was looking for something or someone to call his own. He was far too powerful to be around normal people, for his appearance and strength would hurt them. It wasn't until he found a princess in a high tower that he was suddenly in love with her..."_ As he told the story I suddenly knew what he was talking about. He was retelling the story on how we met, but now he was the knight and I was the princess. James was a villain from a far off kingdom and Jakub was the black knight who turned into a dragon. I smiled widely as he told the story, seeing our children listen to he story and then falling asleep in our arms. Lily was sleeping next to me with her fiery red hair sprawling out around her on my pillow, whereas Jack was comfortable in Oz's arms and smiling in his sleep.

I slowly moved away from the sleeping Lily and got out of bed, walking over to the window and seeing the night come through the area. The stars were out and dotted in the sky to make it look like a painting. I wanted Edward to come back home, I wanted Bella to be okay, and I wanted things to be simple again.

"Hey." I heard a whisper as I saw Oz stand next to me with his eyes on me as if I was about to break. I looked over to him and saw his golden eyes pour into mine. I always felt safe when I looked at him, I felt at home when we were together.

"I just miss him Oz." I simply said in a darker tone as he nodded his head and placed a hand on my arms, rubbing my arm gently. It killed me to know what he was doing and yet I could do nothing about it.

"If only I could see him..." I trailed off as Oz wrapped his arm around me. I saw him look up at the sky as well as I and we watched the crescent moon in the blue sky.

"Alice will get to him and bring him home safe. I worry about him too." Oz told me in a reassuring tone as I looked over to him, seeing his profile. His face was lit from the moon light and he looked so serious but also filled with concern in his eyes. I looked back at our children, who were both asleep in our bed. Lily was curled up in a blanket whereas Jack was close by her sprawled out with his head near Lily's head. I smiled slightly, seeing our children sleeping together in slumber.

"He needs to come back, he needs to come back for them." I murmured aloud and saw Oz look at our children and nod his head.

"If I loose him...." I stopped and took in a shaky breath, breathing in the scent of my two children and the fabric of the bed and carpet. Oz pulled me into his arms completely and I rested my head on his chest, hearing him breathe and nothing else. I sighed, and felt his lips in my hair

For now we wait, and we can only wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alice called sometime later and Carlisle was the first to answer. I was with Jack and Jasper in the living room playing with him whereas Emmett was playing with Lily in her bedroom, going along with her tea time with her dolls and bears. Carlisle sounded rather scared while he was on the phone with Alice, I desperately wanted to talk to her and hear what was going on with my brother.

"Yes, I understand Alice. I know, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Here she is now." Carlisle then handed me the phone. Jasper kept playing with Jack to distract him as I looked over to Carlisle. I saw his eye glazed over as I took the phone gently from him and placed it near my ear.

"Alice! What's going on? Is Bella alright? What about--"

"Harper, calm down sweetie, take a human minute for me will you? Look, Bella is fine, we're at her house and we're going to go out to Italy and stop Edward from doing anything stupid. Have you tried to track Edward?"

"Yes, but I pass out when I do. Alice, he's too far away for me to get a tab on him....I can't---"

"Sshhh, calm down sweetie. I don't want you to hurt yourself trying. You're a newborn with a new ability that shouldn't be pushed too far, and I understand that. All I want you to do is to remain calm and productive in front of the family, your family."

"I know, I will. Just please be careful for me, bring our brother back."

"You know I'll do anything to keep this family alive. Now let me talk to Rosalie." I nodded as I saw Rosalie walk over to me with a grave look on her face. I could tell she was killing on the inside, blabbing to Edward that Bella was dead and sending him off to Italy. She took the phone from me and in a fast pace walked out of the living room into the hallway, trying to explain herself to our sister. I walked over to Jack and Jasper, who gave me a reassuring look on his face and I smiled at him. Emmett came downstairs then with Lily in his arms, who was looking at the front door with wide eyes and concern. I gave Emmett a puzzling look as I walked over, Jack trailing behind me. Jasper walked over in a fast pace as well, looking more concerned as ever.

"Lily picked up a vampire scent, and it didn't belong to us nor the Denali clan." Emmett told me in a stern look as he placed Lily on the floor. Lily ran over to her twin brother and they stayed close as they looked to the front door.

"Could it be--" I was cut off as the sound of the front door knocking loudly. Jasper walked over to me and stood by my side as I snapped by head to the door, Emmett did the same as Carlisle walked over form the kitchen with Esme right behind him. He went to the front door but was stopped by Lily, who tugged on his jacket.

"No Papa, don't open the door." She said in a urged tone. Carlisle looked down at her with a questioning tone.

"Now why shouldn't I open the door Lily? I don't want to be rude---" Carlisle started but Jack but him off as he walked over to his sister's side.

"I smell something wrong Papa." Jack said suddenly and Carlisle looked up at Emmett. Emmett gave him one nod and then he looked at me.

"It cant be." He said, moving over to open the door. The door opened, and in front of my father was the Vivaldi clan, all dressed in black. Mason was in front as usual with Rose right behind him. Steven and Sarah were close behind them, both looking as if they saw something close to them die and this was the aftermath. I instantly saw Lily and Jack run over to me and they stood behind me, holding my hands and hoping I wasn't going to disappear like their Uncle Edward. Esme stood by Carlisle, taking his hand in hers and I saw Emmett out of the corner of my eye walk over to me and stood next to me, just in case they were going to come for me. Jasper showed his teeth and crouched down a bit, already ready for battle.

"Mason, Rose. So nice to see you again. We weren't expecting you to come." Carlisle said to them in his cool tone. God bless my father for keeping his composure in times like these. Mason merely smiled and gazed his eyes over to me, his eyes widening and then down to my children. By instinct I pushed my children behind me, though their heads poked out from behind my legs. Emmett stood a step in front of me, I grabbed his arm and kept him close as he eyed Mason.

"I see, well we have come to talk matters of the death of our son." Mason told my father, his eyes going back to Carlisle. I saw Lily's red hair flowing in the wind as her head poked around me and Emmett, looking at the Vivaldi Clan as if they were aliens from outer space. Rose's head snapped over to Lily as the wind blew her scent to the clan. Then the rest of the Vivaldi clan looked over at Lily and I saw their stares. I started a low growl in my throat, seeing Emmett's stance shift defensively.

"It's not possible." Rose said aloud in a shocked tone. Mason and Rose then took a step towards us, but Emmett completely stood in front of me, crouching low and bearing his teeth. Jasper was next to me, I heard his growl as I crouched down low as well, shielding my children from them. I almost lost them once, I won't loose them again. Esme took a step back towards us and gave a defensive stance as well, leaving Carlisle to hold out his hand to Mason and Rose.

"I advise you not to go near Harper and Oz's children." Carlisle warned them, seeing their faces move over to him and they gave him shocked looks. Only Steven and Sarah kept their stance safe and they stood still.

"Oz's children. How could he--" Rose started, but Mason threw up his hand and she fell silent.

"Doesn't matter. We need to talk about the death of Jakub. Now I myself find it inexcusable to kill another vampire--" He began his speech but I immediately spoke up.

"He was going to kill my children, harming my fiance and brother in the process." I snapped at him, seeing all four pairs of golden eyes stare at me. I heard Emmett let out a loud growl as I felt Jack grip my hand tighter.

"To harm a child is, in my own opinion, inexcusable" Carlisle added with a smirk on his face and I couldn't help but smile.

"I wasn't going to let him get anywhere near my children." I whirled my head around and saw Oz walk in with Rosalie behind him from the kitchen. He went straight over to Mason and stood in front of him, blocking him from my children and myself. I saw rage in his eyes as Rosalie went over to me and my children. I looked down at Jack who was on the verge of tears and I picked him up in a swift motion. I looked to Jasper, who picked up Lily and held her close to him.

"He was a danger to my family, my fiance and my children." Oz said in a calmer tone, but he was still furious.

"But does it involves taking the life of another?" Mason protested.

"It does when there are children involved." Rosalie hissed out loud to him. I heard Emmett growl in agreement as Mason eyed Oz.

"I take it you killed our son?" He asked in a bitter tone, almost in a bark that made Jack jump on my arms.

"No, he didn't kill him. I did." I said aloud, feeling proud of killing the vampire. Rose and Mason gave me shocked looks as Steven and Sarah kept their heads down, trying to hide the small smile on their faces I could see from my spot. Mason walked past Oz and towards me ever so slowly. Emmett shot himself in front of me and growled loudly at him.

"Emmett, it's alright." I reassured my brother as I saw him look over at me. I saw him give me a single nod and move out of the way, giving me all access in front of Mason. I felt Jack clutch me as I walked over to him and stood a foot away from him. Oz was about to come over but Carlisle held him back gently, as a father would do. I saw his eyes on me, hoping I was going to be okay as I looked to Mason.

"The last time I saw you, you had a heart beating and blooding rushing through your veins." Mason said to me in a almost sneering tone. I smirked and shrugged.

"What can I say, I stay with my family." I told him back in a bold tone, seeing Jasper smile next to me while he was still holding Lily.

"He was going to hurt my sister." Jack said to Mason in anger from my arms, having me hold him closer to my chest in case Mason was going to do something to him. Mason eyed him and then back to me.

"We protect our family, even if it means killing another one of our kind. Jakub was already a dangerous vampire to begin with and I know he would of stopped at nothing to get revenge on Oz." I explained to him in a cooly manner, seeing him watch me as I explained it to him.

"Let us talk outside in private." Carlisle suggested as he looked over to Rose, who nodded her head in agreement. Mason raised his eyebrow at me and then walked away to Carlisle and Rose, who all went out to the back door to the backyard.

At first there was silence and no one moved. Esme walked over to me as Oz came as well, going to Lily and Jasper.

"Are you alright honey?" Esme asked me and I nodded my head, seeing Jack look over at Steven and Sarah in thier spots. I looked over as well, both Sarah and Steven were looking at Jack and Lily with not blood thirst or confusion, but with love and wonder.

"Who are they daddy?" I head Lily asked Oz as he took her gently in his arms. She was peering over his shoulder to get a better view of the two vampires near her and Oz chuckled, looking down at Lily. Jasper stood close to Oz in case of anything were to happen, as did Emmett with me.

"That is Steven and Sarah, they are very dear friends of mine." Oz replied to her as he walked over to the two. I followed with Jack, seeing him peak his head through my ringlets of hair. I smiled as we stopped in front of the two vampires, seeing them eye our children.

"Hello. My name is Lily." Lily introduced herself in a smile and I laughed, seeing Steven smile and Sarah laugh a bit. Even Jasper cracked a smile.

"Hello Lily, I'm Sarah and this is Steven" Sarah replied to her in a angel like tone and Lily smiled. Steven looked over to me and Jack, walking over slowly and crouching a bit to be at the same level of Jack.

"And who is this hiding from us?" Steven asked in a playful tone, "Don't be afraid, I don't bite." Jack looked up at Steven as if he was a alien and then gave a small smile.

"I'm jack." Jack simply said to him and I laughed quietly. Steven smiled and nodded his head.

"Nice to meet you Jack." He replied and looked back up at me. I felt better about the situation than before.

"Oh Oz, they're simply beautiful. She looked just like her father." Sarah observed as she looked at Lily in awe. I saw Oz smile in pride, seeing his teeth shine in the light.

"Yet Jack looks like you Harper." Steven added in as well as I looked down at my son. Jack looked up at me and smiled, and I knew he did look like me. His smile, his wide eyes and pointed nose, they belonged to me.

"Please don't be angry at me for killing Jakub." I said suddenly in a pleading like tone. I felt Emmett's hand on my shoulder, rubbing it gently to sooth me. Rosalie kept her eyes on me as if I was going to break.

"I am far from angry, in fact I want to thank you." Steven told me in a confident tone and I was shocked.

"Wow, I didn't expect that one coming." Emmett muttered aloud, receiving a laugh from Steven and a smiled from Sarah.

"Don't get us wrong, we were shocked about his death. But we knew he was going to get some kind of revenge on himself in the near future. He was going to hurt Oz for all of the bad things that has happened to him in his life, and he would hurt you to do it." Sarah explained to me as I saw Oz looked down at our daughter.

"If fact, Steven and I are going to be leaving Rose and Mason for our own lives....together." After she said the last words, I saw them stand next to each other and take each others hands. I smiled, now seeing it all click together.

"Oh Sarah and Steven, I'm so happy for you two!" Oz said in a warm tone and bright smile, "You two must come to our wedding in the summer. it would mean a lot to us if you came."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world. Of course we'll come." Steven told us and I wanted to so badly hug them.

Things were now coming together. Steven and Sarah were together and away from the evilness of Mason and Rose, our wedding was coming soon, and our family felt at peace again. But I needed one more factor to make it even more of a good thing:

I needed my brother.

I needed Edward.


	37. Homeward Bound

I remember the day Edward came home. I was so glad he came home safe and sound to our family again. We decided to move back to Forks, Washington since Edward wanted to be with Bella again. That made me more than happy, knowing we were going to go back to Forks, plus I could introduce Jack and Lily to Forks. It would be hard for them to be around more humans than before, but I know they'll be just fine.

There was a rift between Rosalie and Edward, because of the miscommunication of Bella's death. Edward was sore at Rosalie for tell him Bella committed suicide, but I knew they were going to get over it, all they needed was time.

I opened the door for Lily to jump out of as we arrived at our old Forks home back in WAshington. Oz turned off the car as Jack came out the same door as his sister, both looking at the large house in awe. THe rest of our family joined us as Esme talked to the movers who were finishing up placing our furniture back in place. Edward was off with Bella, talking to her about what happened between them and making sure they were still okay.

"This is a big home mom." Jack said aloud as he walked over to the house a bit more to see more of the house. I smiled as Oz took my hand in his, giving me a kiss on the cheek and looking at our old house.

"Great to be back." He replied to me as Lily came over to me and tugged at my open hand.

"Was this your home mom?" She asked me, already sounding more mature than how she looked. I smiled and nodded my head to her.

"THis is where I first met your mother." Oz told our daughter aloud as he pushed some of Lily's hair behind her hear, the same way he did to me before. Then I saw Emmett come over and scoop up Lily in his arms and twirl her around.

"You'll like it here little missy! Lots of room to run around and play." Emmett told her and he tickled her. Lily giggled in delight and I could see the lights in the house flickering in time with her laughter.

"Emmett, careful." Jasper warned him as he walked by with some things in hand. Emmett stopped tickling her and placed her down on the floor.

"Oh come on now Uncle Jasper, the movers already left a minute ago. Don't be a worry wart!" Emmett teased him as Lily ran over to Alice who was opening the front doors with Jack and Esme. It felt nice to come home and see our home again, breathe in the pines from the trees and feel the moisture in the air. The only downside was being back with the werewolves, but that was something I would have to get used to in order to provide a happy and safe life for my family.

Bella called for a meeting with the whole family at our house, wanting to put her future to a vote. Though Edward was fuming about the subject of Bella becoming a vampire, I felt for Bella. I knew how it was to be a part of a family who was going to protect her, provide for her and help her. So as we sat around the table and while every person casted his or her vote, I knew my vote already.

"Harper?" Bella asked me aloud as I snapped out of my tab on my twins. They were playing upstairs, occupying themselves since they were old enough. Lily was playing with her dollhouse whereas Jack was drawing at his new desk Alice gave him. I cleared my throat and looked over at Bella. Her eyes were on mine, looking so determine and strong and I smiled at him.

"Yes." I replied, seeing some smiles and only two frowns, thanks to Edward and Rosalie. Bella smiled at me and looked to my fiance, who was looking at her with uncertainty.

"I have only know you for a very little amount of time Bella..." Oz warned as I took his hand in mine, feeling the similar warmth in our pale skins.

"I know that Oz, but you are apart of this family that I'll be joining soon." Bella told him in a strong tone. I looked to Oz, seeing him nod his head and give a small smile.

"Then I say yes." The rest of the table said yes for Bella, not including Edward and Rosalie who said no. I knew Edward wanted to protect Bella and keep her from being one of us, but Rosalie's no was startling to me. As Oz went to put the kids to bed I went to stand outside to breathe in some air. I didn't hear the door opening and closing, but I knew who it was that came over to stand next to me, his scent of honey and lemon grass: my brother Edward. I looked over to him slowly and saw him stare out into the forest with a certain stare in his face and eyes. He looked over to me and I saw his golden eyes pour into mine.

"If you ever take off like that again, I'll rip your head off like I did to Jakub." I said to him in a cold tone and I saw him keep staring at me.

"I'll try and refrain from doing something stupid next time." He replied to me in a small smile and I smiled back, "I heard his family came back from some revenge."

"Must you believe everything that comes out of Emmett's mouth?" I asked him and he shrugged, looking back up at the sky.

"Why did you vote yes for Bella?" He asked suddenly and I stared at him with disbelief. He looked to me with a fierce look in his eye, as if he was going to be angry with me from my answer.

"I knew where she was coming from. I was in her shoes once, Edward. She wants to be with you, be with this family whom loves her." I explained to him in a calm tone, "I know how she feels."

"All I want to do is protect her and give her a full loving life." Edward said to me in a softer tone and I nodded my head, knowing where he was coming from.

"But this is one choice she needs to make herself, you can't choose for her." I reminded him and placed my pale hand on his shoulder, seeing him nod his head.

"I know, Harper. I know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Things got hectic very fast around April and May. Jacob Black was coming in and out of Bella's life, Edward picked up a scent of another vampire in Bella's room and Victoria coming into Alice's vision. I remembered Victoria very well from the baseball incident and I tried to keep a firm tab on her, but she was took quick for me to get a hold on her. Attacks have been happening all over Washington, and Jasper feared it must be from new born vampires such as myself.

By the time June came around things were suddenly coming in effect. The wolves decided to make a alliance with our family in order to fight off Victoria and her new born family. At first I was scared for being around the wolves, but I knew they wanted to protect their land as much as we wanted to protect our family. So we were putting our difference aside in order to protect not only each other but Bella as well. We even had a small get together with the wolves and practice our fighting skills. I stayed behind with the children at the house and had the rest of the family to meet with the wolves. At first Oz was hesitant with the situation, but he went as well.

That night Jack was practicing on the piano a piece he received from Edward in the living room. It looked so complicated for a child to perform, but Jack having the mental age of a older child played it with ease. Lily was reading one of her books on the couch, old enough to handle a book by herself. I was painting a portrait of Oz by using a picture I took of him when we first met. But as I painted I was thinking of my family and the wolves, hoping things were going very well with the training.

As soon as I painted a downstroke along the back round near Oz's face, there was a knock at the front door. I looked over to the front door with a puzzling look on my face, knowing we weren't expecting visitors around this time at night. Jack stopped playing the piano and looked over to me as Lily did the same thing. I smiled at them and walked over to the front door, ready for any kind of attack on me or the children. Call me crazy but I was suddenly getting used to putting myself first in front of my children.

I opened the front door to see none other than Quil. His black rimmed glasses shined in the darkness as he gave me his genuine smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him, feeling relief wash over me.

"Hey Harper." He said aloud to me in a bit of a shaky tone, eyeing me from his spot at the front door on the porch. I knew he was scared to seeing the new and improved me, even more pale and more beautiful then when I was a human. But I could tell he was excited to see me and I was as well. I smelled a bit of a stench on him. At first I wondered what that was but then I knew it was his werewolf side coming through, so his scent was a bit worse for me to handle.

"Hey Quil." I said to him in my bell tone of a voice, seeing him take in a breath from hearing my new voice. He was fiddling with his jacket in his fingers, trying to find something to say.

"You want to come inside?" I asked him in curiosity. He looked around me at the house without moving, as if there was going to be some kind of trap waiting for him when he stepped on our wood floor.

"Who's that mom?" Jack asked as I heard him move the piano stool back and his feet on the floor. He was suddenly at my side, his vampire side of speed coming into play now that he was getting older. He looked up at Quil while he took his hand in mine gently. Quil looked down at Jack and his eyes went wide, having the look of seeing a alien specimen for the first time in his life, that or seeing a vampire.

"Jack this is my good friend Quil. Quil, meet my son Jack." I introduced them both and saw Jack hold out his hand for Quil to shake.

"Nice to meet you." Jack said in a polite tone. I felt my heart melt for a slight second, knowing I would have to thank Jasper and Carlisle for teaching my children proper manners. Quil, though hesitant at first, reach out his hand and shook my son's hand. As he pulled away I moved aside to have him come into the house. He walked in with extreme hesitance, looking around at our entrance hallway and then back at me.

"Do you think I should be in here? I mean, I would leave a scent in here for your family to catch." Quil questioned and I shook my head.

"Once they know it's you, they won't mind." I reassured him and he smiled, looking around some more.

"I wanted to come back and say hi, since I haven't seen you since our last little incident with Sam and all." Quil explained as we walked over to the kitchen. Lily was gone, leaving her book open on the couch she was sitting at. At first I wondered where she was, but then again she was old enough to know not to leave the house without me or Oz. She must of been around somewhere.

"Everyone else is meeting with your family, but I decided to come over and see how things were going for you. Though from the looks of things, it looks like you have things going good for you." Quil explained as Jack went to the kitchen. I saw Quil keep his eyes on Jack as Jack disappeared from view.

"Yeah I was going to write to you about what happened. I got pregnant a little bit after me moved to Alaska and had Jack and his twin sister Lily." I explained to him calmly, seeing his eyes go wide in shock. He was about to question me but I held up my hand to stop him.

"It's a bit of a long story." I warned him but he shrugged.

"I like long stories." He replied back and I smiled. So we sat down and I told him about all that happened to me and my family since our move to Alaska. The birth of my two children who were half vampire and half human, Oz proposing to me, my near death experience and so on. Quil listened with instensity and didn't say a single word as I told him the story. As I finished, Quil nodded his head and ruffled his hair.

"It's still a bit of a shock to see you like....well..."

"Dead?" I finished his thought and he gave a nervous laugh.

"Well yeah. Ive heard stories of vampires being monsters and all, thanks to Sam." Quil explained and I bit my tongue, not wanting to have a fight with a old friend.

"Some of us are like that. Oz's old clan were very much monsters, but I hope you know we arent that way." I told him in reassurance and he quickly nodded his head.

"Oh I don't think you and the rest of the Cullens are like that at all. It's just hard to convince the others that you guys are okay." Quil told me in a stammer, and I knew he was thinking I was going to snao his neck if he said anything wrong about me or my family. I then struck up a idea. I quickly got up and grabbed a wedding invitation Alice finally got in from the mail and I sat back down in front of Quil.

"Here." I told him, handing him the invitation. Mostly it was blue with some white lining along the borders, "It would mean a lot to me and to Oz if you came to the wedding."

"I would love to come, I really would. But you know how Sam is." Quil warned me and I just smiled. I knew it was going to be hard for him to get away from the pack and come to a wedding of vampires.

"That's okay, I completely understand if you can't make it." I reassured him and saw him smile, looking down at the invitation with wonder.

"Well, at least I have a good excuse now to get old tux out." Quil joked and I laughed. We sat down and talked for another couple of minutes or so when I saw my family coming back from my ability. Quil suggested that he should leave so that it wouldn't be a awkward situation that oculd go horribly wrong. He left out the backdoor as soon as I heard the front door open and my family walking in. I heard Edward's voice outside the house talking to Bella, he must of been going to take her home.

"Ah, Quil was here." Carlisle said aloud in a humorous tone. I walked over to the group, seeing them sniff the air. Rosalie, in contrast to everyone else, had a horrid look on her face. Oz walked over to me and kissed my forehead. I could smell some of the werewolf on not only him but the rest of my family.

"Oh come on Rose, it's not that bad." Alice said aloud to her as she walked by me and up the stairs, "Now if you excuse me, I need to put my niece and nephew in bed."

"How did you know it was Quil?" I asked hin curiosity.

"Since he was not pleasant at the gathering we were just at, and it smells like...well..." Esme started.

"Dog?" Rosalie snorted out and Emmett held in a laugh.

"We had a feeling he would come by and say hello." Jasper ended Esme's thought.

"I invited him to the wedding." I said to Oz, who gave me a warm smile.

"I'm glad you did, I hope he comes." Oz said aloud to me as Rosalie sighed aloud in defeat.

"Great, I'll have to put up with that stench even more now." Rosalie muttered as she went upstairs, being followed by Emmett and the rest of the family.


	38. Adrenaline Rush

Oz placed one last kiss on Lily's head on the fateful day that they had to go on a fight against Victoria and her newborn army. It was June 15th and I felt as if my family was going to their deaths to fight for Bella. But I knew they were going to fight for me and my children, and overall the entire family. Edward also proposed to Bella two nights before, which made me happier than ever, it would be great to have Bella in the family.

"Please don't go dad." Lily gave a small beg to her father we stood at a clearing near the woods. They were going to go off to the battle whereas I was going to guard the children near the house and close territory. Lily and Jack grew some inches and their hair was slightly longer. Lily's hair, thick and red went to her waist now whereas Jacks was short and wild, with the bronze showing in any light.

"I have to go and protect you, your brother and your mother from those who want to hurt you. I need you and your brother to stay close to your mother." Oz instructed them both as he squatted down to be at their eye level. I stood behind them and looked to my family, who were all looking around to make sure it was safe. I so wanted to join them and to fight alongside, but I had to watch my children first. For one, because no one should know that my children are half vampire and half human, and secondly I was too strong to leave them alone.

"Don't get hurt dad." Lily said in a sad tone and I saw Emmett smile, as well as Rosalie and Alice.

"I won't get hurt. I promise." Oz reassured her and her hugged both Jack and Lily tightly. I could see both of them clutching their father tightly and as they pulled away I saw Lily and Jack backing up to stand next to me. Oz stood up completely and looked over to me with his golden eyes. I knew he would be crying if he could, but he had to be strong in front of the children. Edward walked over to me slowly and I saw him look at me the same way. Feeling the silence growing between us I rushed over and hugged him close to me. OUt of all of the siblings I had, Edward was the most fragile and the only one I could serisously run to. He truly cared for me and my life, and I didn't want him to die, and the rest of my family of course.

"I'll come back." Edward whispered to me as I held him tightly, knowing there was no boundaries between us when it came to strength. I nodded as I pulled away.

"I just almost lost you once, and I don't want to loose you again." I said in a more of a broken tone and he nodded, pushing some of the red hair away from my eyes. I smiled and walked back over to my children, placing both hands on their shoulders. Oz walked over to me and I felt his hand on my neck, making me feel chills though it was warm.

"Come back to us, come back to me." I whispered to him as I felt his lips on my forehead. He pulled away and gave me a fierce kiss on my lips, making my head spin and my heart flutter. He pulled away and rested his forehead on mine.

"Nothing in this world will keep me away from you or our children. I'll come back to you and we'll have a proper wedding." Oz promised me as he kissed my cheek lightly and walked back over to the group. I smiled slightly and somehow I knew things were going to be okay.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Walking back to the house with Jack and Lily by my side I replayed the series of events in my head. I never wanted any of this to happen, but I somehow knew it was going to be something to deal with as a vampire now. As long as I had my family, my husband to be, and my two children to be with for eternity, I felt satisfied.

Then I heard rustling behind me and I whirled around, crutched low and showing my teeth. Jack and Lily stopped and looked in the same direction.

"Jack Jack?" I heard Lily ask aloud behind me. I turned my head slightly to my son who was sniffing the air.

"Someone's coming our way." Jack replied aloud.

"Human?" I asked him in a calm tone, not wanting to scare him. I then could smell what he was inahling, some sort of stench and horrid smell.

"Werewolf."

"Them?" Lily asked him cautiously as she referred to the werewolves already helping out with the fight. Jack shook his head.

"No, him." He said, pointing to the area in front of me. I smiled when I heard them say those words. I inhaled some more and it was the same stench and a soothing scent as well. Smiling even more I knew who it was.

"Quil?" I asked aloud in a raised tone. I scanned the area, seeing a dark shadow about 10 feet away from me near one of the larger trees. The figured moved and came into the light, and it was Quil. He looked very troubled and uneasy about something. I would think he was fighting with the other werewolves and my family. I gave him a puzzling look and he walked over to me.

"Quil, shouldn't you be--" I started but he held up his hand for me to stop.

"I came here to babysit." What was he talking about? I was about to say something else but he beat me to it.

"Look I know who much you want to be out there with your family, and I hate fights myself. I'll watch Lily and Jack and you can go and fight them off." Quil explained as he looked over to my children then back at me. I bit my lip, hoping this wasn't some kind of prank and I thought about it for a good minute.

I did trust Quil enough to leave my children in his care, but what if something were to happen to him or the children? Somehow I wanted to stay behind and watch Lily and Jack, but something inside of me wanted me to go and fight, I felt the adrenaline going through my veins and making me twitch. I then thought of Oz and closed my eyes, finding him in a instant. He was fighting off a newborn, who seemed stronger than him and more powerful. He was loosing this battle and that made me go crazy for not being there. I opened my eyes and saw three pairs of eyes on me.

"It's Oz, and he's in trouble." I simply replied to Quil.

"Then go help him. I can handle anything that tries to hurt your kids." He reassured him and I nodded my head. I knew Quil would protect them, even if it meant that he was going to be hurt or killed in the process.

"Take them back to our house and keep them inside. Make sure he they don't leave the house." I ordered him as I shook off the jacket I was wearing. Alice was going to shop my head off since I wasn't going to wear the jacket. I tied my hair up and in a messy ponytail and looked back at my children, who were looking at me as if I was going to my death. I sighed and smiled at them.

"I'll be okay, just stay with Quil and I'll come back." I reassured them both.

"Promise?" Jack asked me in a weary tone. I felt my dead heart tug at his words as I nodded my head, walking over and kissing his forehead.

"Promise." I told him as I kissed Lily's head. I then bolted back into the woods without even turning around, knowing it would be worse if I stayed behind. I felt the adrenaline going through my body and the venom going into my mouth. The woods flashed by me as I ran in a speed I never knew I had. Hearing the vampires in a good distance I grinned and ran even faster than before. Then I saw them, vampires running around and killing each other. My eyes went to my husband who was being rammed into a tree trunk by a newborn. HIs eyes were so red it was of blood. I charged and rammed him off my husband, seeing him fly out of the way and hit the floor with such impact it shook the ground below us.

"Harper?!" I heard behind me from my beloved. I whirled around at me and saw him look at me in shock. There was a large dent in the tree trunk behind him where he was launched into as he walked over to me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a more shocked tone.

"I saw you, and you were getting in some trouble." I replied to him a bit out of breath but not as bad as before if I was human.

"Who's watching--" Oz started but I gave him a look that he knew. He stopped and gave a small smile.

"Quil." We said together in unison. But then I was slammed hard by the newborn, but rammed into me and we both flew back twenty feet into another large tree, making a large echoing sound and I felt the tree hitting me hard. AS I fell to the ground I looked around me to see Oz running to me with such fear in his eyes, also seeing Edward fighting off a newborn and Emmett as well. I know I had to fight for them, my children, my family and my eternity....


	39. Protecting for Once

"Harper!" I heard in the backround as I tried to register what was going on. It all looked so hazy while I was on the ground halfway into a tree trunk. I heard nothing but fuzz going through my ears and i saw some golden eyes on me. BUt I then saw a newborn running at me with teeth showing and a growl ripping through the air. I shot myself up in the air as the newborn ran into my spot in the tree. I landed perfectly on my feet and saw the newborn whirl around to me, he was even more in rage. As he ran into me and tried to fight me, I could feel his strength and he was pretty strong. But It felt more like scratches from fingernails than real gnawing on my arms as I threw him back some feet and launched myself onto him.

I felt anger going through me, wanting to hurt him for hurting my husband and my family. I was launched back but I landed easily on my feet, and I could tell my red eyes were shining in rage and anger as we fought for what seemed like seconds. I grabbed his blond mop of hair and snapped his neck, hearing him give a piercing cry and then nothing else as I ripped off the head in a clean swipe. His head rolled to the floor as the body fell on its on accord. I felt satisfied as I saw Oz walk over to me. He looked shocked at first but then wrapped his arms around me. I invited myself into his scent and dug my head into his neck, breathing in the scent that intoxicated me as a human when I first met him.

"You didn't have to." He murmured in my ear as he stroked my hair, "I know how you are and killing others."

"But he was going to hurt you. I couldn't let him..." I trailed off as he pulled away and looked at me square in the eyes. He smiled at me, showing me he understood. I smiled back at him, wanting nothing more than to kiss him. I then understood why I fell in love with him.

"Hey guys, this is real cute and all, but we need serious help!" I heard Emmett said aloud as he threw a newborn hard into the ground. I nodded my head and saw a newborn attacking Edward and launched myself at him, throwing him off and pulling off his arm in the process. The body was lifeless on the floor as Edward stood up slowly to look over at me with a smirk on his face.

"Remind me not to make you mad anymore." Edward said to me as I cracked my neck to find another newborn to handle. I smiled at him and pushed some of the hair away from my eyes.

"I thought you would be with Bella." I said to him as I looked around at the fight. He was about to answer when a newborn was thrown onto me and threw me to the ground, slamming my head onto a rock. It reminded me of how I first met Oz but this time I was stronger and that felt like a pinch than pain.

"Harper!" I heard Jasper's voice not far form me. This newborn was a bit stronger than me and more strategic. His name was Riley, I heard the infamous Victoria using it. It was hard to get out of his grasp as I looked over at his eyes. They were so red and he had blond hair, he looked like a boy to me. I then felt him flying off of me and a arm holding my arm to pull me up gently. It was Jasper to was pulling me up and the newborn who had me pinned was crouching low. But Edward blocked him from me and Jasper. I then saw Victoria next to Riley , bearing her teeth and drinking in revenge but who was she looking at? I looked over my shoulder and saw Bella!

She was standing a bit away us and was in a total state of shock. I quickly moved away from Jasper and walked over to Bella, standing in front of her to block her from Victoria. Edward was trying to convince Riley that Victoria didn't love him, but somehow he wasn't buying it. I was too distracted from what was going on when Bella pulled up her sleeve and pressed something against her skin. I looked and saw what she was doing, instantly looking at Victoria who had her eyes on her.

"Bella!" I yelled, shoved Bella back and blocking her from Victoria I looked away from what I could see what was happening. I heard a snapping of a arm, a piercing cry and RIley yelling for Victoria. It all happened so fast. If was human I would getting sick to my stomach from hearing all of the snapping, the flesh tearing and the screams. A horror movie was being played and I didn't want any part of it. AFter most of the noises stopped I looked over my shoulder and saw Victoria and Riley, dead on the floor. I felt Bella shaking badly next to me as I looked over to Oz. Oz rushed over to me and I held him close to me, feeling him slightly tremble in my arms and i stroked some of his hair. Oz was never one for fights and this was a bad one for him to be a part of.

"Oz, Harper, go home to Lily and Jack and tell Quil what happened." Edward told us as he started to make a pile of the vampires they killed. I nodded my head and Oz did as well. He took my hand in his hand, grasping me tightly and we both bolted for the woods. As we ran I knew something was wrong with my family, and I wanted to go back so bad and find out what was going on. I kept my tab on my family, hoping something wasn't going to ambush them. But a couple of dark figures came into view of my vision and I slowly stopped running. I could see red eyes under the cloaks they were wearing and I took in a sharp breath. It was the Voultri.

"Love?" Oz asked me as he placed a hand on my cheek, I felt his hot hand on my cheek as I tried to register what was going on. I opened my eyes and looked to Oz in fear.

"It's the Voultri, they're here." I said aloud to him in a concerned tone. His eyes stayed on mine but I knew he was just as shocked as I was. I felt his other hand in mine tighten slightly.

"Oz, we need to go back and see--"

"No Harper, we need to go back to Jack and Lily." Oz cut me off but I knew he wanted to see them too. For once I didn't want to listen to him and I pulled away from him, running back to my family and wanting to protect them from the Voultri. I heard stories of their wicked ways of keeping the vampire world a secret. They did hunt human, they weren't my like family. There wasn't a single trace of a soul in any of their dead bodies.

"Harper." I heard Oz call to me as he chased me. As soon as I saw some of my family through the trees I slowed down to a slow walk and peered through the dense trees and leaves. My family was on one side of the clearing, a small vampire newborn was in the middle being watched by Jasper carefully, then I saw them. They looked so ancient, almost like the witches and wizards I've been read to when I was a child. They were beautiful, but I knew inside they were evil, nothing but pure evil.

I felt Oz standing next to me as we watched the conversation. At first I thought they were going to pull something on my family, but they didn't make a single move of defiance. The minutes seem like hours to me, it went so slowly for me to handle. Then suddenly I saw some of my family turning away as a member fro the Voutri went to the newborn Jasper was guarding. I then knew suddenly what was going to happen and I closed my eyes, turning away and felt Oz hold me close. There was a piercing scream and a snap of a neck and I cringed, feeling Oz's fingers going through my hair.

"Let's go home to our children my love." I heard him whisper in my hair as I opened my eyes and breathed him in, feeling better as his scent intoxicated me and indulged me. I nodded my head and smiled, pulling away to look up at me, seeing his golden eyes look down at me and smiling at me. We took hands once again and broke into a run back home, leaving all of the horrid world behind us.


	40. I Wouldn't Change A Thing

I remember walking down the aisle on my wedding day. It was now July, a wee bit behind the ideal date that we had in mind but non the less close enough for us. Since the little incident in the forest and all of the newborns taken care of, Oz and I decided to get married as soon as humanly possible.

It was held outside near the cliffs that looked out into the ocean, our favorite spot. Though there was only family, Emily, Quil, Steven and Sarah from the Vivaldi Clan, and the Denali clan, I didn't want it in any other way. Alice found me the perfect dress to wear for the occasion. It looked like a simple dress, but it had the most beautiful lace on the top of it, simple yet elegant. Having my hair in loose curls down my back I walked down the aisle, Carlisle taking my arm and leading the way, to my awaiting husband.

He stood by the minister which a wonderful look in his golden eyes, the same look he gave me when we first met. I saw Alice, Rosalie, Emily and Bella on my left in white and blue summer dresses, all holding lilies in their hands and smiling so brightly at me. THen on my right was Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Quil all in black tuxes and also smiling at me.

I knew Quil was going to have a hard time at the ceremony, since he was the only werewolf in the ceremony. But I knew he could manage being surrounded my vampires. He was smiling so brightly at me as I approached the minster and my husband, with Carlisle kissing my forehead and standing over near the groomsmen. Steven and Sarah came as well, now a couple and on their own from the Vivaldi Clan. Sarah told me they were inspired by Oz and myself and our spirits.

Though I have heard some of what the minister was saying to us and the crowd as the ceremony went on, some of it went out of my mind and I was only focused on Oz, who was staring right back at me. I could see in my mind the very first time I laid eyes on him, hearing his voice and feeling his hand on my skin.

He breathed life into me, showed me love and devotion and I loved him with all of my being. He gave me strength, wisdom, humor in some cases and more importantly, he gave me love. And with our two children who sat in the front row with their grandmother, I could see some of myself in both of them. Besides Oz, I was in love with both of my children.

"You may now kiss the bride." I suddenly heard and snapped out of my flashback moment. I smiled at Oz who leaned in and gave me a simple kiss. Though it was nice and simple, it felt like our first kiss all over again. I could hear cheering near us as we pulled apart, looking out at our guests to came and smiling at them.

The reception was held at our home in the backyard, plenty of room for our small party. We had countless dances with my family members, including my parents and siblings, and also with the others as well. Esme mad a lovely chocolate cake that the children, Emily and Quil only ate, and the rest of us played along for their sake. Our first dance was held under patio lights that Emmett and Edward both put up the day of, and Rosalie made beautiful flower arrangements. Overall, it was a perfect wedding to remember. One moment that made me smile even brighter than ever was of Oz dancing with Lily, holding her up in his arms and swinging her around. I could see the lights flickering in the rhythm of her giggles and laughter. Alice was dancing with Jack, holding him up as well and I could see him laughing as well.

"Come on Squirt." I heard behind me and I saw it was Jasper. He took my hand in his and we walked out onto the floor. We started dancing together, seeing others dance around us as I looked over to my new husband, who was now dancing with Esme. I peeked over Jasper's shoulder and saw Emmett swinging around Lily, the both of them were laughing as if nothing bad would come and ruin their night.

"You look very beautiful." I heard him whisper in my ear as we swayed with the music. I looked up at my older brother and saw his honey blond hair sticking and blocking some of the light from my eyes.

"No matter what happens to you and your family, you will always be my little Squirt." I heard Jasper say to me as Oz look over at me while he was dancing with Esme. I giggled and Jasper laughed as well. I finished my dance with my older brother, then went over to my husband, seeing him walk over to me at the same time.

"Are you happy?" He asked me as we danced together in the middle of the dance floor, too involved in looking in each other's eyes than looking anywhere else in the whole reception.

"Yes I am, because I'm now married to a wonderful man, I'm a mother of two beautiful children and nothing in the world will tear us apart." I told him in a smile and felt his lips against mine. Things finally came into place in my life. My human life, though short lived, was never this calm and secure as it was now.

Later that night Rosalie told me she was going to look after Lily and Jack as Carlisle ushered Oz and myself to Oz's new car, a black Volvo C70 coupe, smiling at us as Oz started the car. Alice got me in a white summer dress with a blue bow around the middle, a pair of brown flats and had my hair tied off to the side away from my face.

"Your children will be in good hands. I just want you two enjoy yourselves on your honeymoon." Carlisle said in a grin and I smiled, knowing I would be blushing like mad if I was a human. Oz nodded his head and we drove off down the road to the airport. At first I was skeptical about where we were going, but I knew Oz wasn't going to tell me at all. So I played along, enjoying myself as we went 1st class on the plane. We kept our hands intertwined together throughout the whole flight, never letting go and that was all I needed.

"Now are you going to tell me where we are?" I asked as we walked out of the airport into Europe, specifically the Berlin Schonefeld Airport. I was, at first, confused on where we were going, but knowing Oz he was planning something big for us. We got a nice rented car, driving it through the forest and up the windy roads. I was already lost in the sight of the beautiful countryside and wilderness, it felt like I was back home in Forks again. Seeing all of the tall trees and mountain sides all around me.

Oz pulled up in front of a rather large castle near a larger lake. It looked to have been in the medieval ages, large towers and windows overlooking the lake. I was in utter shock as Oz opened my car door and took my hand, leading me out of the car.

"Oz, how did you do all of this?" I asked in a shocked tone, seeing him smile and wrap a arm around my middle.

"Mason and Rose actually own this castle. It's been under Mason's name for hundred's of years. He wanted us to have it for the month, as a wedding gift to us." Oz explained as we approached the front doors, that towered over us. I smiled, knowing that Mason and Rose did care for Oz and his happiness.

"Remind me to thank them when we get home." I said to him as I wrapped my arms around him and kiss him on the lips lightly, giving him a tease. He groaned and tightened his hold on me. I felt his forehead on mine, his open hand in my red hair going through my ringlets and his cool breath on my cold cheeks.

"I've waited sixty years for you to come into my life, and I won't waste another year without you, not ever." He said to me in his deep tone of voice. I sighed as he kissed my cheek then to my neck, feeling his hold on me tighten. Another wave of emotions going through my body as I looked into his golden eyes, seeing them pour into mine.

"I'm yours, now and forever. I've been yours since I first saw you outside my window." I told him in a stern tone and kissed him with such fierce it would of gave me a bruise if I was human.

The doors closed behind us and we were left to each other, starting out lives as a couple, as a family.

~~~~~~~~Epilogue~~~~~~~~~

We came home a month later, fully satisfied with our love life and ready to see our children again. They've grown a bit while we were away, but non the less they were the same personality wise. While we were gone, Esme and Carlisle had a lovely cottage built for us in the ruin forest in Washington as a started home for some years. Everyone we needed and more was present inside the home, and it was deep within the forests away from humans. It was the prefect size for the four of us to grow and live.

Of course as the years went by Jack and Lily grew to be at the physical age of 17, then like the rest of the family, stayed immortal for the rest of their vampire lives. Jack grew to be a slender boy with auburn hair styled as messy and wickedly as his father, but sporting his bright blue eyes. Lily's red hair grew out and wild, having a new mixture of brown and ringlets to her mid-back, she also sported a slender and pose body.

Lily's powers increased dramatically as she grew, being able to control and manipulate energy within our home and also using it as a weapon. Jack's power of force field protection also increased, now being able to block not only physical attacks but also vampire abilities, with the exception of Lily because she is his twin.

Now as Oz and myself celebrate our 30th anniversary, still young and vibrant as ever, I look back and wonder if I could change anything. If I were to choose the other path and stay a human being. I would be in my late 40's and would probably have a job involving art.

But here I am with my husband, looking at our new home in Alaska and I held his hand in mine. I could see Lily laughing with Alice and Rosalie about something. Jack's playing around with his Uncle Emmett and Jasper, all three of them wrestling on the lawn floor. Carlisle and Esme are talking to Edward and Bella, who is now a vampire. their half vampire half human daughter Renesmee is just as tall as my children, having bronze ringlets of hair and brown eyes like her moher.

"I love you." I heard him whisper in my ear and I looked over at him. He's still as beautiful and striking as ever.

"I love you too." I replied back to him and felt his lips on mine. That's when I knew: I wouldn't change a thing in the world.


End file.
